


Will of the Rebels

by pichu10176



Category: Granblue Fantasy (Video Game), Persona 5, Persona Series
Genre: Action/Adventure, Fantasy, M/M, Taken place in GBF universe but don't need to know the story for the game to read this fanfic
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-04-12
Updated: 2019-02-06
Packaged: 2019-04-22 01:46:18
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 13
Words: 42,709
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14298075
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/pichu10176/pseuds/pichu10176
Summary: Arc 1: Annoyed by the sudden popularity of the Phantom Thieves of Hearts, Akechi thoughtlessly declared that he can also help with the sudden rises of Shadows, by saying that he will be the one to take down the notorious Ca Ong.Arc 2: Now that Akechi is aware of who the Phantom Thieves are and is currently in a secret alliance with them, what will he do if his agency assigns him to their case... or if Shido decides that he wants them eliminated?





	1. Prologue

‘ _Damn it. Damn it. DAMN IT!’_ Akechi thought furiously as he left the interview, struggling to keep his convivial mask on just in case anyone would suddenly walk around the corner.

‘ _Phantom Thieves, that’s all everyone is talking about. Some wild bounty hunter crew that likes making dramatic gestures on who their next opponents will be. How disgusting.’_

He sped walk to his dressing room, closed the door gently behind him before looking at the mirror and letting his mask drop. His gentle smile quickly turns into an ugly sneer as he remember the crowd cheers for the mysterious Phantom Thieves of Heart. He thinks about the talk host’s questions slowly becoming condescending, as though somehow the amount of work he was doing was inferior compared to the Phantom Thieves.

Oh how he curses their existence!

It wouldn’t be a problem normally, they are helping with the rampant shadows and wild monsters that ravage the cities and islands. However, the problem is when they would occasionally target Persona wielders who would take advantage of their Personas’ aura and control the people around them. Since the police have a hard time accumulating evidence of this sort of behavior due to everyone keeping their Persona hidden in public, a group of vigilantes rising up to the challenge and fighting back isn’t really a huge surprise. The real problem is that the public are slowly changing their negative opinions of the thieves and the term “steal your heart” is starting to become a popular saying amongst the young. Somehow the population got it through their heads that going outside the law is the better option now.

He clenches his fists, his nails digger deep into the palm of his skin, in frustration as he thought of the Phantom Thieves being hailed as heroes as this rate.

 _‘Calm down, don’t let these nobodies get to you. Just stick to the plan._ ’ He mentally thought, trying to release his anger.

As he took a few deep breaths and unclenches his fists, his face slowly turns sickly pale as he recalled something.

‘ _Did...I really say that I was going to take down the notorious shadow Ca Ong….?’_


	2. Chapter 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The interview in detail.

“Good afternoon Detective Akechi! Welcome to our show, Helen’s Showtime, where we present the upcoming famous stars! You have solve quite a significant amount of cases since you have entered your investigation agency haven’t you?” The interviewer, Helen, was quite an energetic spirit. Her harvin ears twitched a little in excitement as she hopped onto her seat and motioned him to sit down across from her.

“Good afternoon Helen-san. It’s a pleasure to be on your show.” He laughed as he took a seat.  “Haha. I don’t know if it’s a significant amount, but I am grateful for the opportunity my agency has given me especially since I’m still completing my final year in high school. They have given me a lot of hands on with these cases and even trusted me to solve a few on my own. It’s been a wonderful experience to be working with them.”

“Oh my! What a humble person! I can see why you have a huge fanbase. Tell me, what case have you completed that you learned the most from so far.”

“Oh, well I can’t go into details of the case of course, but there was an interesting criminal case -”

The conversation continued on between them as the audience watched entranced. Akechi’s words and hand gestures were all gentle, yet powerful. It was easy to grab people’s attention with a loud, obnoxious voice, but that would usually give people a negative reaction. The best way to not only attract people’s attention but to make them actually listen was to use a soft-spoken voice, smile when necessary, and use the correct gestures at the right time. He always had to keep watch of the other’s body language, always had to keep on guard of everyone around him to avoid offending them. It’s impossible to keep everyone pleased, but he can try his best right? Afterall, you have to use whatever skills necessary to get people to notice you or you can never get ahead in life.

_‘Remain pleasant and calm, never show your true colors, but don’t let anyone call you a pushover.’_

Akechi has practiced many times over the years to capture people’s attention while only using the bare minimum of effort. He mentally grinned as he sneaked a peek into the audience to gauge their reactions. He was pleased to know that the crowd was fully concentrated on the interview.

“Now I have an interesting question for you Akechi-kun! What is your opinion of the Phantom Thieves of Heart? While they have been recently active for a few months, they have took in quite a number of bounties! Let’s not even mention the fact that they have also stopped the terrorism of some Persona wielders! I’m not sure how they do it, but it’s quite mysterious if I must say!”

Akechi paused for a moment, lifting his hand to his chin as he ponder the many questions that got thrown at him.

“Hm, well I do appreciate their help with controlling our shadows’ and monsters’ population. I am glad to know that people can now feel safe going to certain locations that used to be overridden with them. However, I’m not sure if I would praise them for their contribution with the cases of the Persona wielders.”

“What do you mean Akechi-kun?”

“Well I'm not sure I could place my trust on an unknown group taking matters in their own hands and going outside the law to see their version of justice being done. It's one thing when the authorities are asking help with monsters, but it’s an entirely different situation when people we don’t know feel if someone needs to be punished for whatever reason they can think of.”

“There are people out there at the moment that are saying that the Phantom Thieves are doing more than the authorities. What is your response to their words?”

Akechi looked at her, while her question was innocent, her face looked rather cunning. He wasn’t sure if she truly believe her own words or she was doing it for the views.

“I would admit that while it might take longer than anyone would like, the law exist so we can judge everyone fairly. How can we know for sure that the Phantom Thieves won’t attack all Persona users or even random civilians who might have looked at them the wrong way? Because their identities are shrouded in mystery, we would have a hard time identifying them compared to the other skyfarer crews that at least show their leaders’ faces.”

“That is a good point, but how far did the police get with their investigation with Kamoshida and Madarame? While the police did come to look into the suicide attempt of the poor student Kamoshida was taking advantage of, it looks like they deem that it was a open and shut case. They didn’t really bother looking at what had driven her to that point. The case would have remained closed if the Phantom Thieves didn’t stepped in on time.”

‘ _This lady is getting on his nerves!’_ He tried to continue smiling as his irritation level was slowly rising. “Unfortunately, I can’t explain the process of an investigation of the police, but please understand that we wouldn’t have let him got away with it.”

“Hmm, I don’t know if that’s the best way though. Even if he got caught eventually, how many more victims would there have to be? Perhaps it’s not the ideal way, but the Phantom Thieves stopped him before any more victims were claimed.” She tilts her head cutely, but he was not fooled. He knows that many Harvins like to take advantage of their small build to make people believe they are naive and innocent.

“You might even say that, they did more work than you did regarding bringing people to justice.” She smiled as she just said something incredibly offensive.

He sat there, flabbergasted at those words. ‘ _B_ _itch! How dare she? Did she just said their few months activity was more worthwhile than my 2 years?! My sweat, blood, and pain just to get where I am with my lack of experience and young age, did she just dare undermining my hard work in front of everyone?’_ It was difficult, very difficult to not stand up, walk up to her, and slap her across the face.

He chuckled weakly, trying to not show how much her words affected him.

“Ha..ha, I can only make general statements since I was not personally assigned to either one of those cases.”

She giggled in response. “Oh my, the topic got a bit dark didn’t it?”

‘ _Yeah, because of you! I’m willing to bet she has a Persona. Heh, wouldn’t it be fun to use Desperation on her and cause a psychotic breakdown? She could be labelled as one of those Persona wielder’s who took advantage of her power and gotten drunk off of it. Even if she didn’t have one, I would still be tempted either way. You can just be one of another typical case for me to solve Helen-san~ It is quite tempting, but unfortunately this whole situation is just a minor hiccup and has no benefit towards my goal.’_ The edge of his mouth moved up a bit, showing barely a mere hint of a smirk, before he noticed and could stop it, hopefully, Helen thought that he just lost his composure because of the idiotic comparison between him and the Phantom Thieves.

“I heard from your fans that they have seen you have taken Shadows and monster down before, that’s amazing! Is there anything you can’t do?”

The crowd who was previously silent on the debate between Akechi and the host, started whispering to each other in excitement.

“Oh, I was trying to keep that on that down low actually. Sometimes on my free time, I would look at some of the bounties that weren’t not taken yet and pick ones that seems to be bothering the public at the moment.”

“You’re so heroic Akechi-kun! I bet with the right support, you could take down even some infamous Shadows! Have you taken down any Primal Beasts yet?”

“Ha ha, well I don’t know about that. I would need more experience before I would dare go after them. And Primal Beasts eh? I would have to say that I haven’t fought any yet. There aren’t many around here that cause a ruckus thankfully.”

“Come on Akechi-kun! You have so little faith in yourself! Or… would you rather have the Phantom Thieves handle all the challenging ones and you are satisfied with the small fry?”

It came over him. Rage. Unadulterated rage. The emotion he was trying to keep underwraps for the whole interview finally became unleashed. He opened his mouth without thinking about the consequences for the first time in a very long time.

“Always comparing me to the Phantom Thieves now, eh, Helen-san? Well alright, I guess I do know some people who would be willing to help me.” He laughed softly. “I swear on my badge that I will assist the people of Auguste Isles with their current biggest issue. I will take down the shadow Ca Ong and help alleviate their pain!” Akechi said as he stood proudly, putting his right hand over his heart.

The studio was in shock as Akechi made his declaration, after a moment of hesitation, a few audience members started chanting his name and cheered before the rest joined in as he kept his determined look. Even Helen looked surprised and applauded as she said something that was probably encouraging, but Akechi could barely hear her as he felt his right brow twitched as the words are being processed in his mind.

‘ _Oh shit…’_

 

* * *

 

 

_‘Oh my god, I’m such a fool! Letting her manipulate me into saying something so foolish! I know that Shido won’t bother lending me a hand since this had nothing to do with his mission. I also can’t ask my agency for help since it only deals with investigations and doesn’t have an offense department. I can’t just take back my words, how should I deal with this situation?’_

He groaned in the dressing room, hesitating to leave it and face the real world. Knowing that everyone would talk about his latest interview, Akechi remained in his chair, with his hands over his face as he tries to think of multiple scenarios to get past this situation.

After a few minutes, he figured that he won’t be able to figure anything out today when he’s stressed out so opted to think about it again the next morning.

He grabbed his suitcase and left without looking back. He ducked his head and quickly left the television station.

“Hey.”

Akechi stopped at the voice. He hesitantly turned around and saw him, one of the Eternals, Quatre coming towards him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Since I remember Grindblue enemies more clearly, I’ll be using a few of them as Shadows instead of Primal Beasts. ;P Guess I did introduce someone from the GBF universe haha. I have only completed Song’s story so I’m going to look online to understand more about the other Eternals (or at least Quatre‘s, please give more gold bars Granblue TT_TT). I'm actually surprised I managed to update before Guild Wars. Oh, good luck everyone on Guild Wars!!! Let everyone get a Gold Bar/Sunlight Stone! 
> 
> I know that psychotic breakdown isn’t the most accurate term, using rampage incident or berserk incident doesn’t sound as nice. 
> 
> If you see any grammar mistakes or anything, please feel free to tell me and I’ll fix it, I read through it once before posting the story.


	3. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Akechi talks to an acquaintance

His light blue hair braided elegantly from one side of his neck, interweaving with other strands and stopping on the other side with his neck, completed with his hair brass ornaments keeping the braids in place. The well-known Eternal outfit, completed with the white cape, showed that he is one of the most powerful people in the skies. His expression looked calm at the moment, however, that doesn’t fool Akechi. He has seen times when Quatre has lost it in his rage and destroyed everything in his path.

  
“Interesting interview. I only managed to caught the end of it though.”

  
“Ha ha, I am honored that you took time to watch even a part of it Quatre-san.”

  
“Cut the pleasantries. You know that I don’t care about those things.”

  
“Ah, Well then what brings you out here to Tokyo Quatre?”

  
“An assignment of course. There’s no other reason I would bother coming here to this city.”

  
Quatre is an outstanding fighter, but what he really excels in is assassinations. He’s really quick on his feet and knows the best way to make usage of his huge twin blades. What made him special was the ridiculous amount of debuffs he knows or perhaps, that could be due to the blades’ special power(?). Akechi is still curious on what Quatre’s power was exactly and how much of it came from his weapons. Oh well, a thought for another time. Akechi did hear some interesting rumors about him recently though that he wanted to address.

  
“I heard something interesting that I was hoping to confirm with you. Did you recently joined another skyfarer crew named Grandcypher?”

  
“I rather not talk about this kind of stuff in the middle of the street. Treat me out first if you want to get any information out of me.”

  
Akechi almost forgot that they were in public. He could get accosted at any minute by fangirls or by random people due to the bold statement he made at the end of the interview. Even with all of the nonideal possibilities that could happen because of his presence, Akechi couldn’t help but smile genuinely for the first time today at Quatre. ‘Quatre never changes. Although it might be called stingy to some people, he tries to save every single rupie for the children of his hometown. How admirable.’

  
“Ha ha. Sure, what do you want to eat?”

  
“Meat. Since you’re paying, I want good yakiniku.”

  
“Hmm, I know a spot then. Let’s get going then Quatre.”

  
They got a few strange looks along the way to their destination. Tokyo doesn’t have a lot of skyfarers in their full gear. Akechi finds it unlikely that any of them recognize who Quatre is even though his crew is well-known. The Eternals don’t really deal with situations around Japan and the crew members are usually scattered out in various islands.

  
“Manpuku…? I’ve heard about it before. They have the famous meat that melts in your mouth, Kobe beef.” Quatre muttered as he paused to look at the restaurant. He glanced at Akechi and said “good work Akechi” before walking in the restaurant.

  
Akechi just laughed in response as he followed.

 

* * *

 

  
“You going to eat that?” Quatre looks intently at one of the Kobe beef being cooked on the grill.

  
“Ha ha, you can take that one Quatre.”

  
Akechi didn’t even blink and he barely saw the meat leaving the grill. Quatre’s speed will always amaze Akechi, even if it’s used for something other than fighting. He couldn’t help but to grin at Quatre.

  
“What are you smiling about? It’s gross, stop it.” Quatre mumbled as he continue chewing on his delicious Kobe beef. “It really is good. Maybe one day, I can give it to the children…”

  
‘His ears twitched! That’s kind of cute. Thankfully he can’t hear me or he would beat me black and blue.’ Akechi tried to hide his smile as he concentrated on putting more meat on to the grill. It might not have been as successful as he thought. He could feel Quatre staring at him before shrugging and continue eating.

  
“So, about our previous conversation, did you really joined another crew?”

  
“Something like that. Their captain, Djeeta, has the revenant weapon, Four-Sky Blade, and I had to challenge her to a duel her. She won.”

  
Akechi almost dropped the meat onto the table as he stared wide-eyed at Quatre.

  
“...do you think it’s mostly because of the weapon?” Revenant weapons are legendary weapons from the great War, perhaps even earlier. They were described as weapons that could break the heavens and pierce the skies that they had to be sealed and hidden throughout the sky. To hear that someone managed to find one and even to break the seal impressed Akechi.

  
Quatre shook his head. “It’s not quite that simple. I think Captain can beat me even without using that weapon. So I’m currently traveling alongside them to learn the secret to true strength.”

  
Akechi stared at him, trying to absorb the information. ‘Someone stronger than one of the Eternals? I believe this crew was just recently formed too. This captain doesn’t sound like a Persona user. She seems to rely on her weapon and skill set.’

  
“That’s...interesting. Have you learned anything yet?”

  
“She’s naturally strong, but she’s also a hard worker. She’s always trying new ways to increase her strength. Unlike someone I know.” Quatre’s face scrunches in disgust as he thought about that specific person. Quatre complains about this person a few times already so Akechi knows who he was talking about and can understand his frustrations.

  
It’s hard to defend others or even yourself when you’re malnourished. Akechi knows the background of Quatre and his sister, Esser. The struggle to survive when there were no adults around to support you, when you have to resort to stealing just to live to see another day. Can’t trust anyone, they will only betray you in the end. It was all very….familiar to him. However, it really confounded him that Quatre not only managed to support himself, but the other street children too. It would have been easier to just abandon them and ran away with his sister...perhaps, that’s why he was willing to spend time with Quatre even though by doing that, it won’t help him towards his goal.

  
‘I wonder if I would have also done that if I was in his shoes… to reach out and help someone else in a situation that’s similar to my own. Ha ha honestly, I doubt it. I wonder what is it about me that he found intriguing? He chose to help me on that day even though I wasn’t anyone special to him. He said it was for one of his assignments, but I find myself doubting it.’

  
The person Quatre was complaining about, Six, who was another Eternal crew member, was naturally strong and talented but doesn’t want to work to improve himself. It must be frustrating to see someone else having what Quatre desires, only to find that they detest it and avoid using that power.

  
While Quatre went off into a tangent about Six, Akechi shook himself out of his thoughts and tried to concentrate on the conversation.

  
“Then that dumb mask bastard had the audacity to say that he didn’t mean to scare the kids! How about don’t wear a mask in the first place?!” Quatre ranted as he stabbed a cooked vegetable on the grill.

  
“He seems very...ah, peculiar.” Akechi replies weakly as he grab some meat. He would like to meet this guy at least once just to see how much of what Quatre says was true and what was exaggerated by his hatred for the guy.

  
“Peculiar doesn’t even come close to what he is! He is an inconsiderate asshole -” ...and there he goes again now complaining about Six’s “dumb ugly face mask”. It was funny how the conversation somehow went from his new crew to Six. They haven’t had many conversations, but, the conversations either lead towards his sister, Six, and more recently, his hometown and the children living there. Even though it was well-known that Quatre and Esser became part of the Eternals for the safety of their hometown, it still felt interesting to hear him openly talk about the issues that they have been having recently. What was more surprising was when Quatre ask for his opinion on certain issues. It was a nice feeling….to be useful for someone.

  
After Quatre took the last meat, he dropped a question that Akechi would never see coming.

  
“Hey some of the kids are curious about you. Do you have time to come visit Stardust Town?”

  
Akechi blink rapidly a few times, before saying “Oh. Uh, sure?

 

* * *

 

  
After they cleaned up and Akechi finished paying, they left the restaurant together.

  
“So Jacob said that he doesn’t believe that I know any normal people outside Captain’s crew. Well, to prove him wrong, I’m going to show you off. They might also recognize you on television too. I don’t know. Nee-san was also curious about you too.”

  
Akechi mentally sweatdrop at how childish Quatre was behaving. One of the children apparently told him that he likes hanging out with weirdos (well it seems that most crew members of the Eternals are a bit eccentric from what Akechi heard) and he got annoyed by that statement. Akechi thought he was originally invited because of his detective celebrity status. Well, he was curious on the Quatre’s hometown when he mentioned about it before. It would be an experience to see his home.

 

* * *

 

“This is Akechi Goro. Everyone, come and say hello.” Quatre saying softly as he entered the biggest house. It turns out to be the dining hall and there were long tables for the kids to sit together and talk to one another. It was amazing that there are so many children here. ‘It truly was a town made up of children.’ he thought. It seems that everyone just finished eating dinner and was helping each other with various chores.

  
Many of the children looked at him and the chattering slowly stopped as they took him in.

  
“Uh, good evening everyone. My name is Akechi Goro, it’s nice to meet you.”

  
Silence.

  
“Quatre has said a few things about but I’m hoping to learn more about everyone.”

  
Only the sounds of crickets could be heard.

  
He looked at Quatre in confusion. Did he do something wrong? Why haven’t anyone said anything yet?

  
“Hey, it’s not nice to keep silent when someone’s talking to you. Show your manners!” Quatre barked out but his voice seems to hold a bit of amusement.

  
“Hello” they finally said as a few kids ran up to him and stared closer at Akechi.

  
“Are you really Akechi?” “Did you really solve cases by yourself?” “How old ARE you?”

  
Multiple questions were being thrown left and right, making Akechi feel overwhelmed.

  
“How will you beat Ca Ong?” one child chirped curiously.

  
‘Crap, those words are already coming back to bite me.’ Akechi hid his grimace well.

  
“Hey hey, one at a time.” Thank goodness for Quatre even though he was smirking now.

  
“Ha ha, yes, I am Akechi Goro, everything I’ve said on television is true, and I’m currently 17 years old. About Ca Ong, I will try my best to fight it. It might take longer than I would want, but I promised everyone who watched it didn’t I?” He gave a smile at the last sentence.

  
The children watched in awe. “Wow, you’re so much cooler in person!” They started talking over each other again. He had a hard time listening to everyone, but he continued smiling.

  
“So what do you think Jacob? I do know someone normal.” Quatre gave a proud smile as he said this.

  
“...well, I’m going to be his friend too!” Jacob declared as he took Akechi’s hand. Akechi’s eyes widen a little, it’s not very often people would touch him. Even though he was wearing gloves, Akechi felt the warmth of the child’s hands that grabbed his. It was a pleasant feeling.

  
“Me too!” more kids started grabbing onto his coat, or pants, one of the luckier kids managed to grab his right hand before someone else could take it.

  
“We need to show him the town!” “Ooh! Let’s take him to the training room! We need to prepare him for Ca Ong!” They started dragging him. It was kind of funny since everyone was trying to latch onto him while walking, but they somehow made it work.

  
Their excitement was contagious. Akechi couldn’t help but to grin at their behavior.

  
“Hey! You guys still need to finish your chores!” Quatre yelled.

  
They tried running out of the room, but since everyone was all huddled, it was quite difficult. Then one of the kids managed to trip and take the whole group with him. Akechi couldn’t help but to laugh even though he was trapped under a few kids.

 

* * *

 

  
It was fun seeing everything in Stardust Town. The kids were so excited to show him everything that they forgot they were suppose to “train” him for the showdown between man and the infamous Shadow. He also got to meet with Esser for a little bit before the kids drag him off to a new location. She seems like a quiet type, but seems patient and kind with the kids. He hopes to be able to talk to her longer the next time they meet.

  
The kids groaned when Quatre announced that their guest had to leave before it gets too dark. He glanced at his watch, it wasn’t too bad yet, but the sun is starting to set.

  
“Ha ha, I enjoyed meeting with everyone and I hope to see you guys again.”

  
The kids were saying goodbye and one kid managed to yell out, “Good luck with Ca Ong!” Now the kids were also wishing him luck. It made him blush, hearing people root for him and seem genuine.

  
“Thank you!”

  
Quatre walked with him through town, leading him to the entrance of the town and the path to get back to Tokyo. Then he dropped something huge onto Akechi.

  
“I know that you’re a Persona wielder.”

  
Akechi eyebrows shot up as he tried to remain calm. “Whatever do you mean Quatre?”

  
“Nee-san and I saw your gun today, only Persona wielders would bother learning two completely different types of weapons, a close range and a far one. I don’t care about the rumours regarding Personas and their wielders, but I shall warn you to not get cocky with this.”

  
He stopped moving and turned fully to face the now silent Akechi.

  
“You may have a lot of experience with fighting, but Ca Ong has been known to exist for at least a century. It will not be like one of the other Shadows that you have fought before. If you really are planning on challenging it, I advise you to then set traps, do what you must to take it down before it notices you, otherwise you’re dead meat.”

  
“I will take that into consideration. Thank you Quatre .” Akechi tilts his head into a small bow.

  
Quatre just looked at him, like he was waiting for something that Akechi had to ask. “Is there anything else Quatre?”

  
“I don’t mind helping you know.”

  
“Hm?”

  
“That bounty is pretty hefty amount. I don’t mind helping if you don’t mind splitting the bounty.”

  
“Oh.” It would be nice to know that someone as powerful as Quatre would be helping him take down Ca Ong. They did work together a few times already so Akechi is somewhat familiar on how to maneuver his attacks around Quatres. However, if the news got caught of this, then they would just make it seems like Quatre did all the work while Akechi was in the area being the support unit. He needed to prove to them, to everyone, that Akechi Goro was got to where he was because of his skills. He didn’t need anybody’s handouts. He got to where he was because he refused to give up even though his situation was unfavorable from the beginning.

  
“No, but thank you for offering. I’ll try my best to figure out the best kind of tactic to fight it.” He responded, but he smiled at Quatre as he said this.

  
“Hmmph. I expected that reponse. I’m not sure who you’re trying to prove to, but…” Quatre hesitated before continuing “...whatever, don’t die. See you later detective. The children can’t wait for your next visit.” Quatre said as he turned away from the detective, gave a lazy wave as he walked back into his hometown, leaving Akechi to his thoughts.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author’s Notes: Haha Akechi is friends with Quatre and I want to pair him with Akira. I find it interesting because they are played by the same japanese voice actor. Maybe he only really likes soft but manly voices. Sorry Yusuke/Drang. You’re just too deep.
> 
> Japan is an island and Tokyo is their city. There are small towns and whatnot, but it’s nothing as well-known as Tokyo. Skyfarer usually stop by Tokyo for entertainment. From movies, to host clubs, and maid cafes, it’s a great place to rest before heading off to the next island. Because Tokyo is huge and overall, pretty safe, skyfarers don’t bother being decked out in full gear. They might just take a knife, small sword, or pistol but rarely would they need full body armour.
> 
> THIS GUILD WAR IS TOO MUCH!!! WHY IS EVERYONE SUDDENLY OP! Ranking will be impossible at this rate…. I just wanted to rant before round 4 and 5 starts. DX


	4. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Akechi's first run in with Ca Ong

Sometimes, Akechi wonder how he was so unlucky. People said that luck will eventually even itself out in the end, but Akechi felt like he had terrible luck all his life and this situation just proves it!

He ran through the trees, trying to find a safe spot to hide from Ca Ong’s destructive power.

It roared in the distance as it charges its power. The water from the atmosphere was slowly being gathered towards the Shadow.

‘ _Goddamnit!_ _Curse those girls! I should’ve just left them for dead! I didn’t prepare to fight Ca Ong today!’_

He grits his teeth as he recalls how he got into this situation.

 

-Earlier-

 

Akechi did his research as thoroughly as possible for Ca Ong. He stayed at Auguste Isles for the past few days, looking for information on the Shadow in their libraries and asking various people who lived in the island. He had to wear a disguise just in case someone recognize him, but it was well worth it. The Shadow only appears for a few weeks in a year, rains chaos whenever it feels like it, then hibernates until the next year.

He knew that it was active during the summer, floats around the edges of the island. It usually roams around the ocean side, slowly creeps its way around the forest area. It doesn’t really travel into the middle of the island, so there had never been any attacks to the town directly. However, since it destroys random parts of the forests, the creatures that live there will start traveling towards the towns for food or new land to live in making people feel annoyed at the Shadow.

With Auguste Isles having a lot of tension recently with the Empire, a lot of people have been volunteering to be part of the army of this island. Of course, the fishermen and hunters are also pretty strong since there are strong monsters like sea urkins and crabs-of-war living in the seas or the water sprites that roam around the forests. Auguste Isles always had a strong defense system because it is a well-known resort destination and the merchants here can afford to pay for security so they don’t have to worry about any monsters attacks. Thus why even though Ca Ong indirectly causes turmoil to the people, they seem to generally treat it as a nuisance since they can get rid of the monsters coming to invade their city pretty quickly and the Shadow only attacks for a few weeks before retreating again.

If it was a Primal Beast, then people could take it down while it’s hibernating. Unfortunately, being a Shadow, one of its special attributes is that it can vanish into thin air until the next active cycle.

Akechi asked for if anyone knew of its origins. Hopefully, by understanding the person who used to control it, he can get a better picture on how to defeat it. Sadly, there are too many rumors regarding the Shadow. Some people say that the user was a fisherman who lost his life at sea, his Shadow roams around, trying to find its way back home. Others say that it was a skyfarer who wanted to take a nice long vacation on the island, but didn't take account of how harsh the weather can be during the summer. Last well-known rumor was a female who went to search for her lover that went missing in battle.

Akechi sighed. The older something is, the bigger the mystery revolves around that object. Well, at least he got a good idea on how to set up his traps. Since Ca Ong is a water element Shadow, using earth element would be beneficial. However, since his elements were light and dark, it won't be as effective. Luckily, there are element based items that people sell. Hopefully he can find a few good ones from the merchants in this island.

Since Ca Ong can fly and attacks from afar, the best way to attack it is with his gun. With the right bullets, he can hopefully stun it, bring it to the ground, and finish it off with his sword.

He could also buy some time rockets to distract the Shadow to look somewhere else as he prepare a strong spell with his Persona. Akechi grinned as he thought of the many different type of tactics he could use to take it down. Well he finally collected enough information about the Shadow. Now it's time to scout the area to see how the Shadow behaves normally without anyone attacking it. He might be able to learn something new.

_'Let’s do it tonight.’_

 

* * *

 

 

He waits until it was pitch black before he leaves the city.

He wore a sweater with a hood to cover his face as he left. It was great that Auguste Isles was cold during the night even though it was summer otherwise he would very suspicious walking around the city with this disguise.

He strolled through the forest, thumbing his gun as he walked. There might be thieves or bandits around, so one can't be too careful.

He took out his night vision binoculars to locate where the Shadow could be.

' _Ah, that should be it. It's bigger than I expected meaning that I should have an easier time hitting it if I do plan to use rockets.’_

He observe quietly as the creature moved slowly in the air above the ocean. It looks like it was swimming and looked really peaceful at the moment. The Shadow could pass off as a fancy looking airship with its crown with rubies on top of its head. Even the tail had some sort of decoration with more jewels at the tips. It looked very pretty and he almost feel a sliver of regret that he was going to attack the Shadow at a later date.

“This is for Akechi-kun!”

A blast of water hit the creature.

' _Uh, what the fuck was that?’_ he was stunned. Did someone just attack it?

“That had no effect Mary! Let me try! Let's roast his ass!” Now there was a small fire being aimed at Ca Ong.

If this situation wasn't so serious, Akechi would have laughed at their idiocy. Who attacks a water element with fire? At least they should have debuff the Shadow first before striking so their attacks could do more damage. Unfortunately, now those attacks manage to get the Shadow’s attention and it slowly turned towards them as it let out a loud groan.

“!!! Wahhh! It’s looking towards us! What should we do Annie?!” The girls started shrieking, which was not helping at all. They could have had a high chance of escaping unscattered if they didn't help it narrow down their location with all of the obnoxious screaming.

His mind was racing, trying to find the best outcome to this situation. His hand reached for his gun and he quickly pulled it out and let out a shot.

 

*BANG*

 

“What was that?” they stopped screaming to see where the shot came from.

“Run!” he yelled as he ran towards them.

“Ack! Thank you!” They said as they retreated from the area.

“ **Robin Hood!** ” His outfit transformed into his pure white royal outfit with red accents and a red, long-nosed mask. His Persona look like a superhero on television. He wore all white and had a light blue cape. It had the initials R.H. on its chest and it held itself proudly.

“Kouga (medium bless)!” His Persona pulled the string of his large bow back, the arrow of light quickly took form as it took aim and fired.

Akechi in the meantime retreated as far as he can in a different direction from where those girls ran off to. He didn’t want them to think that Akechi Goro could possibly be a Persona user. They might spread rumors about this and the media will try to spin this in a negative light. Persona wielders haven’t gotten the best reputation at the moment, not that he was exactly helping with Loki and the psychotic breakdowns.

He called Robin Hood back and his dark red mask with the long beak reappeared. Is it better to keep his Robin Hood Persona or transformed back to his normal outfit again? He didn’t want to change into Loki just in case someone was watching, he certainly doesn’t want people to know that he was able to summon two Personas. If he changed back to normal though, his magic isn’t as strong compared to when he was using his Persona and the distance it can travel is only a few meters. The only thing he could rely on was his gun and he doesn’t have anything ready to take the Shadow down yet! However, his outfit right now really stood out in the dark green forest that he was currently run around in. It was getting close to a full moon so the area was lit bright even though it was nighttime.

 _“ARROOOO”_ Ca Ong groaned as it lets out a blast of water into the forest.

Akechi took a moment to glance back behind him to see that the attack was off its mark, it hit a large area of the forest.

‘ _Ugh, no time to think, just focus on running, the Shadow will eventually give up! It never travels far into the island anyway, this might help me determine the exact location it will stop trying to pursue me. I could use that information when I attack it next time.’_

 

\---Present Time---

 

He couldn’t find anything cave or anything that look safe to hide temporarily as he was running. He dared to took another look behind him as he heard Ca Ong crying again.

‘ _Shit, it’s looking straight at me!’_

Ca Ong then let loose its attack and it went straight on target. The torrent of water hit the ground, taking a few plants and rocks with it, while continuing its destination towards Akechi.

 _‘Shit, shit! I can’t dodge it in time!’_ Akechi thought as he glanced behind him while he ran. He looked at his surroundings, trying to find a specific object that can help him survive that attack. He clenched his teeth, as he put his back against a large tree and threw his arm up to defend his face. Akechi used his other arm to grab hold onto one of its lower branches as he braces himself for the upcoming attack. ‘ _Hopefully, the attack won’t be strong enough for the tree to be ripped out of its roots. I can’t spend too much time recovering from injuries, not when Shido might call on me at any moment.’_

He couldn’t help but to close his eyes as the water was rushing towards him, destroying everything in its path.

“Makarakarn! (Erect shield and repel one magic attack)”

When he didn’t feel the attack, he opened his eyes in surprised. Did someone used that skill for him?

“Yo, I saw that you were struggling with the Shadow so I stepped in.”

‘ _Quatre? It sounds like him, but I didn’t know that he was able to cast shields. He sure is surprising me more and more.’_

“Ah, thank you Qua-” he cut himself off when he turned to the voice and saw someone else.

This guy, who was another Persona wielder, had a black ankle-length tailcoat, light gray high neck waistcoat, black pants, and a pair of crimson gloves was definitely NOT Quatre. He’s also walking towards Akechi with his hands in his pockets.

‘ _Crap, did he see me transform?’_

“Hmm…” The guy put his hand to his mouth, just underneath his domino mask, as he inspects Akechi.

“...w-what?”

“You look pretty cute up close. Your persona outfit, while a bit flashy, looks nice on you. Not bad.” He gave this annoying smirk as he said this. His voice was a bit similar but sounded deeper than Quatre’s.

“Uh….thanks…? I guess?” Akechi was pretty speechless. Who flirts with a stranger in the middle of battle?

Ca Ong cried out as it started to prepare another attack.

“Let’s talk later, we need to lose this guy first.” He had the audacity to wink. WINK at Akechi. What the fuck? He walked in front of Akechi and yelled for his Persona.

“ **Arahabaki!** Stagnant Air!” His Persona reminded Akechi of one of those Shakōki-dogū clay statues made a long time ago. It had the goggle-eyes, small waists, and wide hips.

….and it just casted a spell that release some sort of dark smoke that smells horrendous. Akechi tried covering his nose, but it doesn’t seem very effective. The stranger waited until the smoke reached Ca Ong before saying something else.

“Dormina!”

Ca Ong immediately stopped its attack and slowly moved vertical. Akechi tilts his head wondering what kind of attack was this? When he noticed that the Shadow was fully vertical, it still hasn’t initiate any kind of attack. His eyes opened in wonder as he finally understood what those attacks were.

‘ _!!! That’s pretty smart. Normally, status effects are hard to land, especially on large type of monsters. However, by using his first spell, it seems to increase his status debuff success rate.’_ Akechi took mental notes about this, wondering what sort of items can he get that could also be effective as the spell ‘Stagnant Air’.

The person turned and smirked at Akechi. Akechi couldn’t tell if it was being cocky kind of smile or he was making fun of him because how ineffective Akechi’s attacks were...well, Akechi could give him the benefit of a doubt since he did come in to help him.

“That was a rather smart move. I would like to thank you for your assistance mister…?” Akechi remained neutral as he gave his thanks only to immediately regret it as the person opens his mouth.

“It was nothing, I don’t mind helping a ...damoiseau in distress.”

‘ _Okay, fuck this guy.’_ Akechi refused to let his smile drop even though he was extremely irritated by everything that happened tonight.

“Ha...ha” he laughed uncomfortably as he shifted in place. He really didn’t know how to comment to such a line.

“We should go, the spell only last for maybe half a minute and that’s only if nothing attacks it.” He gave him a look before took off running through the woods.

Akechi followed by default before wondering _‘why am I following him? I already thanked him, we can just part ways now…’_

Although he did have doubts, he was curious on the stranger. He did help him for no reason after all. Before he can finalize his decision on what to do next. The male finally slows down and turns toward Akechi.

“To be honest, I’m surprised you actually followed me. Couldn’t resist my charms eh?” and there’s that smirk again.

Akechi regrets following him. Actually now that he thinks about it, he seems to be regretting a lot of things lately.

“Stop...just stop. What did you want to talk about?” Akechi tried his best to keep his polite tone even though this guy was being a little dipshit.

“Well, I just have to say this, I don’t know which outfit I like more, this one or… your detective one.” He said.

Akechi immediately dropped his smile and put his hand on his hip, close to his gun holster.

“I see. What are you going to with that that information?” He asked slowly.

“Hmm, what to do. I saw your latest interview, it was cute. I couldn’t help but see if you were actually going to follow through or not. Looks like you have guts detective.”

“Get to the point.” he said curtly. He needs to know so he can plan for the worst if the person wants to use this as blackmail material or something equally as horrific. While Akechi hasn’t killed anyone, he has attacked people before using Loki.

“Ha ha. You said something interesting during your interview. You said that you wanted to see what the leader of the Phantom Thieves look like right? Well that’s me.” he said proudly.

Akechi was stunned, this person was the leader of the Phantom Thieves?

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Granblue calls it sea urkins, not urchins. Please don't tell me to correct this.
> 
> I’ll be using Granblue’s battle system. Persona 5 element and weakness is too annoying to keep track of everything haha. This means I will be switching some people’s element and whatnot.
> 
> I’ll be changing the rating of the fanfiction. I’ll probably make Akechi curse a lot mentally. Quatre might appear again so he will definitely say some creative curse words. Ryuji will finally be able to curse to his heart’s content. Maybee there’ll be sex scenes. Who knows~
> 
> Oh, I updated this chapter quickly because I managed to make top 80k for guild wars. Yay~ 
> 
> After next chapter, this story will be slower with updates because I haven’t made any concrete plans for what’s going to happen next. I just know what the introduction will look like. :\


	5. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Akechi talks to Joker more and looks around the marketplace for items.

He took his time to really observe the guy’s features. Curly hair, grey eyes, a bit shorter than him. Really likes black. He took mental note of everything before he addressed him again.

 

“...I didn’t say that. I said that we can’t put our trust in a crew and their brand of justice who doesn’t want to show their faces.”

 

“Yeah, well now is your chance. I’ll show my face to just you though. You need to keep it a secret though.” he said as he put a finger to his lips as he smile devilishly.

 

It was tempting, very tempting to find out this person’s identity. While he was only promised a face, he could always use his agency to narrow down who the person is. Akechi already knows that the guy has a personal grievance against Kamoshida Suguru. So he either has to go to that school where the coach was abusing his power or was related to one of the victims. It wouldn’t be too difficult to find this person and arrest him officially in Tokyo. However, Shido hasn’t told Akechi to take action against this group yet and Akechi himself doesn’t care enough for their actions. His end goal was to crush Shido afterall. Anything else was just small inconveniences unless it benefited towards his goal. 

 

“Not really, consider this payment for your assistance. I won’t bother capturing you tonight. Now leave before I change my mind.” Akechi waved his hand as if dismissing him.

 

“Hmm, I didn’t expect that kind of reaction to be honest. I thought you would try to know my identity and capture me to prove your justice or something. You interest me more and more detective.”

 

“There’s no point in bothering to capture you when you’re just collecting bounties. That’s perfectly legal on all islands. However, if you still try to pursue your justice on other Persona-wielders, then I will take action and only then.” Akechi does not need the public to criticize him when it’s revealed that he capture the leader when he was fighting monsters and Shadows.

 

“Sooo, that means that we should meet up when either one of us is hunting monsters? I would love to see how you fight and how well we can work together.” The person tilts his head as his smirk never faded.

 

“...no thank you. Just meeting you here was plenty enough for me.” Akechi tried to hid his grimace at the thought of him working alongside this guy. While he did save him, Akechi didn’t like his personality. It was very...flirty.  He might not have his expression well enough or it could be his words, but the stranger just laughed in reply. 

 

“I have never properly introduce myself have I? My code name is Joker, do you have a name too or should I just continue to call you detective?”

 

“...it’s Crow” He decided it off the bat. He never had to use a code name before. He only worked by himself and was always stayed hidden in the shadows, there was never a need to have a code name. 

 

“Crow eh? Not bad. It was a pleasure to meet you.” Joker walked a few steps towards him, grabbed Akechi’s right hand, gave a bow as he pressed a kiss on the back of his gloved hand.

 

Akechi flushed hotly at that action while Joker took a peek at his face as he back away.

 

“...y-you! W-What?!” Akechi couldn’t speak in complete sentences at the moment. He was flabbergasted. This was flirting taken to a whole new level and he was not use to it! His hand that was taken from Joker was still frozen in mid-air at the same location where Joker kissed it.  _ KISSED _ .  _ What? _

 

“Ha ha ha! Well I hope to see you soon!” Joker said joyously as he continued stepping back. 

 

Akechi immediately snapped out of it with those words and he quickly took out his gun and aimed at the black figure. 

 

Joker threw a smoke screen, concealing his presence from Akechi’s vision. 

 

“Damnit, that curly haired bastard! I’ll shoot him the next time I see him!” Akechi was angry. This night didn’t go the way he wanted. This reconnaissance mission was overall a failure, but at least he managed to learn something about his enemy. Tomorrow morning with a fresh mind, he will write down all his observations from both the Shadow and Joker. While the Phantom Thieves might not be his enemy, he can’t disregard them just yet. If they keep taking on stronger Persona wielders, Shido will definitely take an interest in them. Most likely, he would make Akechi eliminate them. 

 

Akechi sighed, so much work to do, so little time. He release his Robin Hood transformation and walked back to the city while glaring at the forest floor while wiping his gloved hand against his pants. His body involuntarily shivered at the recent memory and he knew he wasn’t going to have a great time sleeping.

 

 

* * *

 

The next morning after he ate a small breakfast, Akechi took out his notebook and wrote down his observations from the previous night. It really helped writing everything down with a clear head. He noticed that Ca Ong seems to use really strong water magic attacks, but it takes a while charging up. Using this information, it shouldn’t be too difficult to take down Ca Ong as long as he manage to paralyze it. Using charm or blind wasn’t going to do the job, the chances of the spell working was random. It would not the best time to rely on chances and use it against such a strong opponent. Sleep would only work for one attack. He would have to use his strongest attack after using that spell and it would be unfortunate if that attack didn’t destroy the Shadow.

 

As he mulls over this, Akechi tied his hair into a low ponytail and wore thin black non-prescription glasses. He wore a plain light green tunic with brown pants and comfortable boots. He debated for a minute but decided to only wear his arm bracers. He also brought knee guards and body armor, but didn’t feel the need to wear them. 

 

He put his sword and scabbard on his right hip. His belt had his potions in the front and his gun holster in the back, carefully hidden from sight. Akechi threw on a cloak for good measure and looked at himself in the mirror to make sure everything was perfect before he left his room.

 

Perhaps he needs to visit Sierokarte’s Knickknack Shack to see what she has in stock. Usually he only needs to buy potions and he can buy that from any shop, but since what he needs this time is a little more specialize, going to her would be his best bet. Her prices are reasonable, but local shops usually have better deals for certain items that are produced there. For example, Auguste Isles, is known for their mana recovery items and water elemental weaponry. While buying and using water elemental weapons would be ineffective against Ca Ong, he might decide to buy it as a future investment if he ever plans on visiting Valtz Duchy. 

 

_ ‘Decisions, decisions.’  _ He thought as he walked through the marketplace. Siero’s shop well noticeable compared to the surrounding shops. It had weapons, potions, monster remains, and other various items.

 

“Hello hello! Welcome to Siero’s shop! How may I assist you?” A dirty blonde harvin carrying a green bird greeted him.

 

She had a backpack full of rolled up papers (probably maps) and compasses hanging from the shoulder straps of the bag. Her clothes look light, perfect for the weather of the island.

 

“Gotle, come say hello to our new customer!”

 

“H-hello!” the bird chirped.

 

Akechi’s eyes widen in surprise. 

 

_ ‘That creature was able to mimic the common language.’   _ He thought astonished as he was tempted to pet the animal. He had a small affection for soft fluffy animals.

 

“Good morning Sierokarte-san. I came today hoping to buy bullets made for pistols.” Akechi said politely.

 

“Ah! Yes I have some stock and please call me Siero!” She grinned as she led him to where the bullets were placed.

 

“May I ask what kind of bird Gotle is? I was surprised that he was able to talk.” he asked, making small talk.

 

“Ha ha! He’s a parrot. They are natives to this island. He’s been with me since he was a young one.” She laughs as she recalls the day she found him.

 

“You guys must be very close then eh?” Akechi said softly as he watched her reaction. They were walking slowly towards their goal but he didn’t mind. He needs to be on good terms with her if he was planning on visiting her shops more often in the future.

 

“Yup! I take him everywhere with me. We visit all of our shops, inns and bars together.”

 

‘ _ Holy crap that’s a lot of places that she owns!’  _ Akechi knew that she owns shops that benefit travelers on many islands, but inns and bars too? Wow, how does she manage to oversee all of that? His respect for her rose as he heard this. ‘ _ Well I know who to visit if I want advice on how to open a business.’ _

 

“Well here we are! Unfortunately we don’t have that much on stock at the moment. You need bullets for pistols right? You would be able to use parabellum and aetherial bullets.” She points to the bullet display cases. The cases were separated by bullet types. There seems to be four cases and he was only able to use two. Akechi guesses that the other two were made for the long-barreled firearms. 

 

“Parabellum bullets are normal and for debuff usage. Aetherial bullets are a bit more interesting though. Depending on the bullet, you can actually hit your teammate or their weapons to increase their magic attack! Hitting their weapon also gives it elemental abilities even if they can’t normally use that power. For example, your friend’s element is fire, if you hit his weapon with Titan point, then his weapon temporarily has earth properties too! Unfortunately you can’t stack elements on top of each other, you might end up just destroying the weapon so your friend has to be careful not to infuse their weapon with their own element after you shoot them. You also can’t shoot your friend and they would suddenly gain the ability to use earth attacks.” She lectures him as she opens both cases.

 

“Well that should be the basic information about those bullets. You should buy a few different kind and play around to see what kind of fighting style you prefer more. Please let me know if you have any questions!” She smiled widely as she looks at him, her ears twitching in happiness at a potential big sale.

 

“Excuse me! Siero, are you here?” a person yelled out in front of the store.

 

“Yes I am~ I’ll be right there!” She nods at him as she and Gotle left to serve the other customer.

 

He never seen so many different type of bullets before. The names of each bullet and the basic descriptions were in pretty little labels next to them. Tokyo was much more simple. There was no elemental or debuffs bullets, just simple iron ones. Akechi felt kind of giddy seeing so many different types at his disposal. He did enjoy fighting, but never had the time to hunt down bounties due to Shido. Everything Shido demands of him are just basic detective work and later staking-out those specific people.

 

He just needs to know the suspect’s schedule and use Loki on them at nighttime from the shadows when there was no one else around. To be honest, it was getting kind of boring. It would be more fun if he was able to fight them and their Personas, but it would be weird when they get capture by the police and have unknown injuries. Akechi doesn’t need the police who weren’t in Shido’s pocket to think that the victim’s psychotic breakdown might be caused by a third-party and start digging for answers. It was unfortunate, but he has to remain careful not to leave any evidence even if it makes his work dull.

 

While him challenging Ca Ong might not have been the best idea, Akechi doesn’t really regret it. He prefers thinking on his feet and this feels like a breath of fresh air before he has to go back to Tokyo. It was annoying, but he managed to convince Shido to let him go on this quest by promising that he would be able to do all the assignments Shido gave him and finish them quickly.

 

He picked up a few bullets that caught his interest: Vohu Manah Point, Shield, Poison. He also wants to stock up on regular iron bullets too. Sadly, he couldn’t find any bullets that would help him lower the debuff resistance of his enemies. There also wasn’t any bullets that was able to paralyze either. Akechi hopes that Siero was able to procure some other kind of items that would help him with these issues. He put the bullets back, memorizing their names and went looking for Siero.

 

Akechi found her still talking to her customer. He walked up to her and waited patiently for her to finish talking while ringing up her customer.

 

“Excuse me, Siero? I am interested in buying some bullets. I also had a question for you.”

 

“Yes?” 

 

“I was wondering if you had any items that could lower the debuff resistance of my enemies and any bullets that could paralyze them too.”

 

“Hmm, sorry we don’t have those kind of items.” She said apologetically. 

 

Akechi’s face dropped and she hastily explained herself.

 

“The thing is, we rarely encounter monsters with those kind of abilities. We use their remains to make weapons. Of course we also use plants and other items too, but there are no known plants or animals at the moment that have instant effect paralysing toxins. People aren’t interested in buying the fast-acting toxins so we don’t bother making them.”

 

Akechi was confused, how slow was a fast-acting paralysing toxin that people wouldn’t be interested in getting it?

 

“How fast are we talking about?” he questions her.

 

“Well it all depends on the species, the most rapid-acting venom that we know at the moment comes from a snake species called the black mamba. They are more commonly found in Lumacie Archipelago. If they bite a human, the effect would take a few minutes. Since people like hunting big monsters, their venom will take longer to take effect. What kind of creature are you planning on taking down mister?”

 

Akechi glanced around, making sure that there was no other customers in the store. He was confident that she wouldn’t spread rumors that he was here since everyone seems to praise her for her professionalism and customers’ privacy.

 

“I’m hoping to take down Ca Ong.” he said softly, but clearly.

 

“Ah~ So you’re Akechi-san eh? I see it now! How exciting!” her eyes glittered as she grinned at him. 

 

“Hm judging by the size of that Shadow, one bullet can might take up to 3 hours to take effect? One snake can make 6 bullets, so that might be around 30 minutes?” Siero taps her finger to her chin as she calculates.

 

‘ _ Ugh, I would have to hunt 3 snakes for the effect to be in 10 minutes and that is the minimum time for it to be effective. I don’t think retrieving the venom is worth the effort for fighting such a big Shadow. Maybe I’ll get it in the future just in case I fight smaller creatures. _

 

“Ah, well thank you for your input. I’ll keep it in mind. On another topic, I would like to purchase a few bullets if you don’t mind.”

 

“It’s not a problem at all! Which one are you interested in and how much would you like?”

 

“I would like 1 cartridge for Shield and Poison bullets, 3 for Vohu Manah Point and 5 for Iron bullets.”

 

“Let me get them for you Akechi-san!” She went to the back to grab the items that he requested. 

 

He looked around to see if anything else caught his eye. He should stock up on hp potions since he was here, but it might be smarter to look around the marketplace first just in case there was a better deal somewhere else. 

 

“Here they are!” She came back with a box. She opened it at the cash register and there were 10 cartridges, all of them were labeled on the side too. 

 

_ ‘That’s pretty neat.’  _ he thought.

 

“Your total will be 15,000 rupies! Iron bullets cost 1,000 per cartridge and everything else costs 2,000 rupies.” 

 

Akechi mentally winced at the total. He did order a lot of cartridges just in case something unexpected would happen but the price put a small dent into his wallet. He sighed as he pulled the correct amount out of his wallet and handed it to her.

 

“Thank you!” She counted the money and puts it into the cash register.

 

“Oh by the way, you are able to upgrade these bullets.”

 

“Really? That’s interesting.”

 

“Yup! These are just the basic bullets. You would have to get specific items though to make these guys stronger though. The Vohu Manah Point items that you need would come from Lumacie Archipelago. The items you would need for shield and poison bullets would come from various islands though. Upgrades are free as long as you bring in extra goodies for us to upgrade our stuff too. Would you more details regarding this? I have the paper of what monster you need to fight and what island you can find them on.”

 

“Sure if you would be so kind.” He bows his head.

 

“Ha ha it’s not a problem!” While she looked underneath the counter, Gotle left her side and landed on top of the cash register. He looked at Akechi while whistling. 

 

“H-how are you? Feel good?” the parrot said.

 

“I feel great. Thank you for asking Gotle-san.”

 

“Gotle!” he chirped as while opening his wings.

 

“...ah, Gotle it is.” It was strange calling someone without a honorific even though it’s a bird, but he isn’t familiar with bird behaviors. What if Gotle gets mad that Akechi doesn’t call him correctly and starts pecking him? It would be embarrassing to have to defend himself against a bird; he can’t even attack it without looking like a bully. Siero would probably get mad at him too. Best to just do what he wants. 

 

“Aha! There it is!” Siero’s head appeared from the countertop. She was holding a small booklet in her hands. She handed him the book as she wishes him good luck hunting.

 

He packed his items carefully into his bag as he left the store. 

 

‘ _ Time to explore the rest of the marketplace.’ _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I’m using the term mana instead of sp since everyone can use magic. Persona users are able to summon stronger magic attacks and they usually are able to use more magic compared to a normal person.
> 
> Vohu Manah Point will give the user earth elemental attack. It will also increase their magic attack if they are also earth elementals. The other rotating showdown primal beasts are the same thing. He didn’t bother getting Titan Point because that’s used to hit your teammates and gives them earth elemental attacks.
> 
> I’m using the gunslinger’s crafting bullets as a base. https://gbf.wiki/Gunslinger#Table in case anyone is curious
> 
> This is what Akechi’s outfit look like for this chapter  
> https://pichu10176.deviantart.com/art/Akechi-s-Adventure-Outfit-744722683


	6. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Akechi meets a coffee fanatic and finds the highest bounty to test his new bullets.

It was actually pretty interesting, the marketplace that is. Akechi already expected merchants to sell various types of seafood, but some of the plant life they had to offer were surprising. He didn’t know there were a few different types of coffee beans that were native to this island either.

 

He has been having coffee more often recently due to his heavy workload and all-nighters, but he never cared for the flavor. However with different types of coffee beans that they offered here, it made him think that maybe he should try to branch out and try more flavors. Well instant coffee doesn’t really specify what kind of coffee bean it’s made from, but he should at least enjoy something that he’s going to be drinking daily right?

 

He wonders if there’s any good coffee shops nearby so he could try one of their native coffee beans at least once before he goes back to Tokyo.

 

“I’ll buy 10 kilograms of the Kona and Mountain Blue.”

 

“Sure, coming right up young man!”

 

Akechi looked up to see a young male customer talking to the owner of the shop. He seems to wear a normal outfit with no armor or visible weapons on him. A civilian it looks like.

 

He had short curly black hair and wore big thick framed glasses. His voice also reminds him of Quatre, but deeper, not quite as deep as Joker though. When the male felt someone staring at him, he turned to look at him, his grey eyes felt like they were staring straight into Akechi’s dark soul.

 

Akechi felt unnerved by his gaze, but tried not to show it and let out a smile.

 

“Oh, did I take too long talking with the owner? You can order and pay first if you want. I might take a little bit longer, depending if I can get a good deal with my order.” the stranger offered politely as he put his hands in his pockets.

 

“Ah, no. I was just browsing. I’ve never seen coffee beans up close before so I was curious.”

 

“I see. Have you ever tried any of these coffee beans before? They’re pretty good for people who prefers their coffee with a rich flavor. Mountain Blue tends to be sweeter while Kona has a bright acidity and has a complex aroma. Do you have a preferred coffee bean?” The person asked, making small talk while waiting for the owner to come back with his order.

 

“Well, I actually don’t have a lot of experience regarding this, usually I just drink the coffee that my work offers me. I never look into the details of my drink.”

 

The stranger looks sad at the answer. Why does the guy care if Akechi knows anything about coffee or not? Was he a coffee fanatic?

 

“Hmm, since you look like a skyfarer, you should visit Tokyo, Japan sometime and go to the coffee shop called Cafe Leblanc. They have many different types of coffee beans from the other islands so you can try a lot of flavors and see which one you like most.”

 

“Ah, I might take you up on your offer then. Cafe Leblanc eh?” Akechi thinks that he might have heard that name before. Maybe he should visit it since it seems like someone he knows mentioned about it before, most likely Sae. He was only close to her at work.

 

“Here we go. This is everything that you order sir.” The owner was a Draph and managed to lift the bags with no problem, taking advantage of his muscular build. He put one of them on a scale to show that they were the correct weight.

 

“Ah, I guess I’ll take my leave then. It was nice meeting you. I hope to see you around.” Akechi said pleasantly as he nodded at the stranger.

 

“Yeah, see you around.” The stranger said as he waved at Akechi.

 

As Akechi walked away, he frowned. There was a high possibility that the person he just met might be Joker. The voice, the eyes, and hair were all similar. It was surprising how different his current personality was compared to Joker’s. He actually wouldn’t mind talking to him more, he seemed friendly, but not overly so that he was pushing any boundaries.

 

But Joker…ugh, remembering him made Akechi also recall the kiss from yesterday. The back of his hand tingled as the memory came to mind. He wiped his hand aggressively against his pants, even though this was a different glove. Ugh, he can never look at his Robin Hood’s glove the same way again… Damn that guy.

 

Akechi told himself to keep an open mind though, just in case Joker turns out to be another guy, he has to be open to other possibilities so he won’t be caught off-guard.

 

Well, he wanted to test out his new bullets before fighting Ca Ong. First he should fight using only his sword against a normal monster to see how much damage he could deal with and without adding an element to his attacks. Then he could look for the current biggest bounty on the island and attack it with his bullets to see how effective they are. If all goes well, then he can just purchase some traps and challenge the Shadow tomorrow night or the day after.

 

Akechi looked for something light but substantial that he could eat for lunch. He glanced around the marketplace, wondering if they sell sandwiches or something he can just eat with his hands, no utensils needed.

 

After buying something called a lobster roll, Akechi went to the main road to where the bulletin board with all of the bounties were. There currently weren’t any Shadows or Primal Beasts that were causing a disturbance, so there aren’t any bounties that were too high. He picked one that was the highest at the moment. The bounty was for something called an Imperial Guard. It states that Astre Empire recently abandoned their weapons testing site, but there are still one or a few robotic guards that protected the area from people. So the bounty states that every guard that’s destroyed will be worth 10,000 rupies each.

 

Akechi grinned, time to get to work. It would be convenient to hunt the monsters in the area while traveling to the weapons site. Since it seems like no one would be randomly wandering around that area because of how dangerous the guards are, he could use his Persona too and compare how much damage his elements can cause versus using his Vohu Manah Point bullets against the guards.

 

The water elementals were actually pretty easy to take down. He only need to slash it a few times with his sword before it went down.

 

He saw another one floating through the forest and held his right hand out to cast his magic, as he held his sword tightly on his left. Akechi’s hand glowed a bright white as he concentrated on his attack.

 

“Kouha!”

 

A flash of light appeared from the sky and hit the creature with perfect accuracy.

 

Akechi then raise the sword in preparation, just in case his magic wasn’t enough to kill it and he would need to use his weapon to finish the fight.

 

The creature crumpled to the floor and glared at him. It started gathering water around itself and Akechi quickly ran and stabbed it in the chest before it can release it’s attack.

 

“Goodbye.” He said softly as he removed his sword from it’s dead body and cleaned the sword with a wiping cloth before putting it back in its sheath.

 

He could never get used to taking items from his fallen enemies. Akechi quickly grabbed the soothing splash from it’s dead body before leaving the scene. He would be able to sell the item or if he collected more, be able to trade them for other items like magic potions. Soothing splashes are used as the base to make the potions afterall.

 

Akechi continued walking towards the weapons site, keeping a lookout for other monsters that might be in the area.

 

It was late afternoon already, Akechi was hoping that he would be able to reach the place before early evening at most. He doesn’t know if the building is damaged or not, he hopes that it was so natural light can get into the building or that the electricity still works. It would be a hassle to fight while also having to hold onto a flashlight.

 

Akechi walked as quietly as possible through the forest. He carefully avoided the long branches of the trees, the thorny thick bushes, and the tree’s roots that grew above the dirt.

 

Finally, he reached the site. The place looked kind of sad with how empty it looks. There seems to be no damage done on the building, but Akechi can see some kind of light in the building though. He is glad that he will be able to use both hands to fight.

 

Akechi placed his hand on his sword as the other hold onto the sheath as he entered the abandoned building.

 

The place was nicely well-lit with light crystals. He could see clearly even the corners of the building. It was unfortunate that this place hasn’t been repurposed yet. Hopefully, by him clearing out the guards, the people of the island can use it for something.

 

As he pass through the building, he saw large machineries that had layers of dust on them making Akechi wonder how long this place has been abandoned.

 

As he crept through the area, he heard something making a loud noise.

 

“Intruder, stop now or be aware of the consequences.” A large black robot appeared from behind one of the machines. It’s arms were currently at its side and the claws look pretty sharp he noted. It doesn’t look like has any long range weapons on its body so Akechi can take it down with his gun and magic, but he wonders how fast it was. His stronger spells take longer to cast and he doesn’t want to be caught unaware if it was able to run at a high speed at him to attack.

 

Well he should transform first at least. Even if it turns out that he doesn’t need his Persona, it doesn’t hurt to be careful.

 

“ **Persona**.” he muttered as his outfit changed.

 

He couldn’t help but to grin, this day is finally becoming interesting he thought as he walked towards the guard as he unsheathed his sword.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Short chapter, just wishing everyone good luck with guild wars and easy wins! :)


	7. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Akechi destroys some guards and you never guessed who showed up!
> 
> '...creep.' he thought.

Akechi walked and picked up speed until he was full on charging at the robot.

 

“Entering offensive mode. Preparing to engage in combat.” The robot raised its hands as Akechi ran towards it. He swing his sword and slash at one of its arms before ducking and sliding underneath the robot’s arm as he got on the other side of it. He quickly turned and kept his sword out as his eyes analyze how much damage that attack did just now. 

 

Unfortunately it didn’t seem to do much damage. There was a deep scratch on it’s right arm, but it didn’t make a hole like he would have wanted. It wasn’t that surprising since it was made out of a stronger type of metal than he had hoped. It seems that physical attacks will not be very effective against this kind of opponent. 

 

Well Akechi’s magic was pretty strong so it’s alright. Akechi concentrated his light magic into his sword. He grinned as it glowed brightly as he did practice swing with the sword and charge once more. He attacked the main body and spinned to swing his sword up to attack the same arm again. This time the attacks did leave pierce through it’s armour. It also caused the metal to melt at the edge of the injuries too. The arm was heavily damaged and it was in mid-air in a grabbing motion, its fingers twitching as it grabbed only air. The electricity sparks coming out of it showed that wasn’t working properly now. 

 

‘ _ Nice!’ _

 

His light magic was a bit different compared to normal light magic. It seems to have a similar effect as powerful fire magic causing the enemies to be severely burnt with his attacks. While fire attacks have a chance of causing the opponents to be caught on fire too, Akechi’s magic doesn’t extend to that. 

 

However, since his sword acts like a heated red hot weapon, he doesn’t need to use a lot of force when attacking since the weapon just easily slid through his opponents. While idealistically, it should save him some stamina when fighting. However, the truth is, he has to be constantly using his magic for it to work so it would still tire him out in the end. Luckily, magic potions solves this problem, but there are no potions that could instantly cure being physically tired.

 

Akechi was only a few meters away from the guard so it reached out with its other arm. The arm movements were kind of fast, but it seems to walk slow he noted. 

 

Akechi wasn’t sure if the guard wanted to grab him or claw him and he didn’t want to find out so he dodged it by jumping on the handrails before proceeding to climb on its disabled arm. Akechi swung his sword forcefully through the guard’s neck and leapt off its shoulder, flipping in the air and landing gracefully on his feet. He turned to look at it, waiting to see if the last attack was good enough. 

 

The guard made a loud static noise before collapsing onto the ground. 

 

“Intruder alert!” A loud siren rang out. It was coming from the robot! Akechi hurried to stab it in the center of its forehead with his sword.

 

The noise stopped midway, the red glowing eyes disappeared confirming that it was dead now. Akechi looked quickly around, the pathway had a few exits and he wasn’t sure where the others would be coming from.

 

“Don’t worry for I am here!”

 

‘ _ Huh?’  _

 

Akechi was confused, who said that? He narrowed his eyes as he put his guard up.

 

A flash of black suddenly appeared in front of him.

 

“We meet once again Crow.” 

 

‘ _ Oh fuck no. _ ’ he thought when the person revealed his face. Well his masked face to be more exact.

 

“Joker.” He said in a clipped tone. 

 

“Aw that’s it? No ‘it’s only been one day, but I missed you so much already’ or ‘Joker, you’re looking more and more striking every time I gaze upon your face’?” He grinned.

 

“No. Is that it? Okay goodbye then.” Akechi said as he moved past him. 

 

He was planning on going into one of the rooms, but stopped when he heard thundering footsteps coming closer. 

 

“I guess we have to work together Crow. You got my back?” He said as he pulled his weapon out.

 

“No, you can take care of everything coming towards you from that direction and I’ll take care of the rest.” He said stiffly as he pointed to the door on his right. 

 

Joker might have saved him yesterday, but he doesn’t trust him to have his back. There is a high chance Joker might ending up feeling him up during the fight. Sounds like something he might do. Ugh, Akechi still needs to repay him back for the kiss. Maybe a take down attack would do.

 

“Intruder has been spotted. Prepare to engage in combat.” Two guards appeared from each side.

 

“Be ready, they’re coming!” Joker warns as he walked towards his targets.

 

“Tch, you don’t have to tell me.” Crow sneered.

 

“ **Persona!** ” They yelled together. Robin Hood stood behind Akechi in a protective manner.

 

“Makouga!” He cried out. Robin Hood responded by firing an arrow at the enemies. When the arrow flew right between the enemies, it swallowed the whole area in light. After it faded, both enemies fell onto the ground. Akechi ran up to them and proceeded to stab both of them on the foreheads. He wouldn’t want anymore sudden enemy attacks.

 

His mask re-appeared before he turned to see how Joker was doing. It turns out that he also finished his battle and was looking over the fallen enemies. Probably checking for items to sell, he doubt there was anything of value unless the merchants need metal. Seems more of a hassle to take back though. 

 

Crow started walking towards him, ready to ask what was he doing here, if he was stalking him and to punish him for yesterday.

 

“All guards 01 through 05 have been defeated, preparing to unleash battle mode. All intruders will be eliminated.” A robotic voice could be heard through the door between Joker and Crow. When the guard finally showed up, both of them took in the appearance of it. It looked bigger than the other guards and, surprisingly, was holding a machine gun in one of its arms. It took aim and fired multiple shots at them. 

 

‘ _ Oh shit.’  _ He thought as he dodged and ran behind a machine. Joker ran in the opposite direction and took cover behind another machine.

 

Luckily it’s aim was bad and he didn’t managed to get shot at all. He wondered briefly if Joker had gotten hit and quickly demolished that thought, he doesn’t care if that guy gets hit.

 

The firing of bullets stopped, but they could hear the heavy stomps of the guard who was slowly inching its way towards them. 

 

Crow was thinking on his next step, the machine he was hiding behind was attached to the wall, meaning he was unable to go around it and attack the guard from behind. There was one exit that wasn’t blocked off by the guard, the one he come in from, but it was exposed and the guard would be able to shoot at him down if he tried to escaped.

 

“Crow!” 

 

He looked at Joker who was pointing up. Hmm, there were rails close to the machines that prevented people from falling over into the basement floor. The building has three floors including the basement, Akechi wondered how Joker got into the place before putting the thought out of his head. He couldn’t afford to get distracted at the moment. He looked and decided that the rails and pipes that were connected to the machine could be used to reach the top of it. The guard wouldn’t expect that so it would at least buy him some time to think of a better plan.

 

He moved back a few steps to get more momentum before running to the rails. He gave a big leap and landed on the rails before jumping again to reach the pipes, he jumped onto two more pipes before reaching his hands out to grab the corner of the machine and pulled himself swiftly on top.

 

‘ _ Thank goodness I go bouldering on the weekends, otherwise this would have been much harder to achieve.’ _

 

He glanced over to see if Joker made it safely too. Wait, that sounds like he was concerned for him. Hmm, he was interested in knowing the location of Joker and seeing if he was able to provide a distraction so Crow could be the person who took down the guard. Yes, that sounds much better.

 

It turns out he was fine, one might even say that he looked like he was feeling superb. He was waving to get Crow’s attention, before giving him a thumbs up. Ugh. Crow was tempted to ignore him...but the enemy has a gun. He should remain cautious in proceeding as he peek his head out to see where the guard currently was. 

 

It finally got to the location Joker and Crow previously were before they hid for safety and looked around.

 

“Intruders have evacuated from the area, Guard-X will proceed to search the building to guarantee that the intruders have indeed fled.” It started walking back towards the door where it came from. Crow saw a bright red shape moving in the corner of his eyes. 

 

‘ _ What now? If he starts doing obscene gestures or something similar to that, I’m willing to reveal my location just to shoot him.’ _

 

Crow looked at him with resigned eyes. 

 

Joker gestured at himself, then pointed at the machine with his left hand and showed his dagger in his right. He was planning on taking it down? Crow narrowed his eyes, this was his prey, no perverted, trying (and failing!) to be the cool guy dressed in black is going to take it from him.

 

Unfortunately, he wasn’t able to do anything or even show him his nice middle finger because Joker immediately took off after and creeped up behind the guard. He was somewhat impressed that he barely made any noise while jumping down onto the metal floor.

 

Crow was also annoyed, how dare this guy do his own thing. He took out his gun, loaded the iron bullets before concentrating his magic into it. 

 

“ **Arsene!** Dazzler!” A creature with black wings dressed in red appeared and threw its hand up as it casted the spell.

 

‘ _ A different Persona? Is he like me?’ _ Akechi was surprised. He thought that he was the only person who had more than one Persona. Joker’s outfit didn’t change though. How strange.

 

The guard stumbled on its next step. It raised its gun and started shooting as it turned around towards Joker. 

 

_ ‘What a waste of bullets.’ _

 

He raised his gun, closed his right eye for accuracy, and aimed at its head. Crow waited for a moment before pressing trigger and fired with deadly accuracy, perfectly hitting the head of the guard. Normally, he wouldn’t be confident if a normal iron bullet can go through the robot’s head, but with his magic’s special ability, the bullet easily pierce through, left the robot, and hit the wall.

 

The shooting stopped as the guard fell onto the floor. Joker stabbed it, finishing it off.

 

After Joker looked at him to give him the thumbs up, he left the safety of his location to get to Joker.

 

“Now I have questions! What are you doing here? Are you stalking me? Oh, I need to do something too.” He said as he walked quickly towards Joker. Joker grinned at him, probably expecting some sort of award. Well he’s going to get one.

 

Crow punched him on the arm. Hard.

 

Joker recoiled back as he rubbed his sore arm. He gave a hurt look, but Crow isn’t affected by it. The mask is covering his face too so half of his expression is hidden, meaning it wouldn’t have worked anyways.

 

“Answer my questions.” He stated.

 

“Wow you sound just like a prosecutor.” He murmured as he continue to rub his arm.

 

Crow answered with silence and the narrowing of his eyes. He slowly raised his arm again, curling his fingers to make a fist.

 

“Fine fine, calm down first and I’ll answer.” Joker said as he raised his hands up.

 

“I.am.calm.” 

 

“Someone sounds like they are having an off day, well, your luck should turn around now since I came.”

 

‘ _ It was you! You’re the one made it worse!’  _ he mentally screamed, his eye twitched in annoyance, but he kept the thought to himself.

 

“Hmm, to answer your questions, I saw you taking the bounty poster and was curious on what you were planning on fighting against. And stalking? Would you call someone following you around stalking?”

 

“Yes, that’s the definition of stalking.” He said emotionlessly.

 

“Ha ha well I didn’t do that. I just asked someone which bounty was the one that you took and they told me. I walked here and found the place. No stalking involved.” He said proudly.

 

“It still is. Just because you didn’t follow me step by step didn’t mean this wouldn’t be considered stalking.”

 

Joker pouted. “Well call it what you will, but I saw how well we worked together in fighting that last guard. We would make a great team.” He said excitedly. 

 

“I’m not joining your merry little group of thieves. I’m still a detective, I wouldn’t work outside the law just because I don’t agree with everything it states. You guys also need to stop going after Persona-wielders. The police hasn’t been putting a lot of effort at the moment in trying to capture you, however if you keep continuing on what your doing, they will.” he warns.

 

Joker smirks.

 

“It depends if we get caught now doesn’t it? I don’t plan on getting captured, but thank you for being concerned about us...or rather me. It’s so touching.” Joker wiped an imaginary tear from his eye as he smiled.

 

“!!! I’m not concerned!” Crow barked out. Ugh, talking to this guy is giving him a headache.

 

“Ha ha! You’re so fun to tease.” He chuckled.

 

“On a serious note, I was talking about bounty hunting, it’s more fun to have teammates around when you’re fighting. While we might disagree on our methods on how to deal with Persona-wielders, we can agree that taking care of bounties is important, otherwise, why else would people pay large amount of rupies to get rid of them? So would you join with us in collecting bounties?” He grinned at Crow.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Guild Wars was not good… my crew were slacking off after prelims, a few of them didn’t even bother to hit minimum for loser badges. So we (the semi-competitive people) left and created our own crew. If anyone is hardcore and wants to fight in the next guild war, message me. The crew leader is Boto and he posted the ad on discord gbf international for the crew Polyandrium. We are expecting people to be at least halfway done with FLB with their grids by the next GW.
> 
> I sparked for Cain. Not the good way where you save up for 300 rolls, the pay for half of it way. TT_TT I’m very poor now and I haven’t read the 2nd arc of the story yet! Lol. I don’t even earth! 
> 
> Persona collaboration is less than 2 weeks. I’m so excited! Hopefully I can release at least one more chapter before it comes out.


	8. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Joker and Crow working together, temporarily, of course.

He pretends to think about it, trying to make the moment feel suspenseful. Crow held his hand to his face as he tilts his head, seemingly to be pondering in thought before smiling widely and flat out saying “No”.

 

Joker frowned at hearing the reply.

 

Crow felt so proud that he got one over Joker.

 

“Hmm, well let’s do trial run first then with Ca Ong since you’re planning on taking it down anyways,” he suggested.

 

“You don’t like taking no for an answer do you?”

 

“Don’t be such a grumpy wart!” He avoids answering the question.

 

_‘G-grumpy what?!’_ He was outrage. Was this guy trying to recruit him or piss him off because he’s doing a _wonderful_ job with the latter!

 

“Yup, you got to be adventurous, try new things, be with new people.” He winks at the last sentence.

 

“If you don’t say yes, I’ll just keep stalking you and bugging you about it~”

 

“So you do admit that it’s called stalking!” Crow barked out.

 

“I’m just speaking in your language.” He said as he shrug his shoulders.

 

“It’s what everyone agrees on the definition of stalking!”

 

Did he get transported into an alternative reality? Did the term get changed without him knowing? Akechi knows that there were people who idealize creepy obsessive behavior nowadays with the recent books and movies, Dusk, Different Shades of Grey, and Phantom of the Musical, but this was ridiculous. He doesn’t want anyone following him, looking into every little action that he does. He works with Shido, if someone was going to track his movements, they might notice something odd eventually. While he made sure to erased any potential evidence linking him to any suspicious activity, aka the psychotic shutdowns, it would be strange to see that the person he followed around eventually goes psychotic a few days later. Not to mention, he has to summon Loki to cast the spell. It would be hard not to notice the tall big Persona near him...

 

Akechi mentally cringed, he isn’t completely sure if Joker would be the stalker type or not, but he doesn’t need to deal with that shit on top of his other stuff.

 

And why were they arguing about this anyway? It was kind of sad how easily Akechi gets riled up around this guy.

 

Akechi closed his eyes as he sighed. “Fine, we can...try it.”

 

Joker laughed, sounding pleased.

 

Crow still found him intolerable, but he couldn’t help but to feel a wave of happiness on the inside as he closed his eyes to concentrate on the sound.

 

‘ _He really does sound like Quatre.’_

 

Quatre usually looks serious, but always puts on a smile when he talks about his family. Crow has never heard him laugh or chuckle before.

 

‘ _So this is what he would sound like if he laughed.’_ He thought as he smiled unconsciously.

 

Crow felt something grabbed his hand and immediately tried to jerk his hand back as he opened his eyes.

 

He saw Joker tugging on his hand. ‘ _Oh hell no am I letting him kiss me again!’_

 

“Why are you holding my hand?” he asked as nicely as he could as he tried to pull away.

 

“To give you a handshake silly, we’re going to be in an alliance. We got to shake on it.”

 

“...oh.” Crow stopped resisting and let his hand hang limp from Joker’s grip. Crow felt kind of bad that he always assume the worst of Joker. This might have been the third time where he accuse of Joker being more perverse than he actually was.

 

“It’s only temporary!” He countered.

 

“Ha ha. It’ll be fun working alongside with you Crow.” Joker said as Crow enclosed his fingers around Joker’s hand and they properly shook.

 

“Yes...I’ll be looking forward to working with you…” He said professionally.

 

As Joker grinned, all Crow could think about was, ‘ _what did I get myself into?’_ as he weakly smiled back in reply.

 

 

* * *

 

 

Bounty hunters receive an interesting item when they first register to become one. The bounty hunter bracelet. Physically it looks more like a smartwatch. The straps were made of leather and the watch was made from some kind of metal. It was able to take pictures and record.

 

The recording application was necessary since after a Shadow is defeated, the body disappears so people are unable to show physical proof that they defeated it. This is one of the reasons why people like putting together a crew when facing strong enemies, someone could be focus on recording the battle while everyone could focus on attacking or defending one another.

 

Not everyone has phones, Japan was the first to develop that technology and only a few islands have caught on to how useful it was. The only problem is that they only started putting electric lines in the major cities so the signal is pretty bad elsewhere making it not an appealing item to have for adventurers. And the bracelet is free, so why not.

 

Crow now took the time to take pictures with his bracelet. Joker offered to give him his kills too, which he glared in response. He doesn’t need anyone’s charity. He replied Joker could take that offer and shove it up his ass, but in a nicer way of course. He doesn’t hate the guy; he just feels a strong amount of annoyance towards him.

 

He looked at the Guard-X, thinking on how to split that reward. He suggested for both of them to take a picture and tell Siero that two people took it down. Crow didn’t do all the work by himself and it didn’t feel right to claim it as his own.

 

Joker nodded as he held his bracelet up.

 

Crow wanted to explore the whole place. He wanted to be certain that the whole area was cleared of guards so he told Joker that they need to hit all three floors. Joker agreed and Crow led the way around the place.

 

They hid behind corners, listening for any kind of noise, and peek their heads out when they didn’t hear anything.

 

He felt ...somewhat like a thief. He didn’t want to tell Joker that though.

 

In one of the rooms, there were half assembled weapons on the benches and Crow spotted an interesting gun in the middle of it all. It was already put together. He picked it up and scanned it. It doesn’t seem to have a magazine. How would he be able to put in cartridges? He doesn’t see anywhere that he could put bullets in individually either. Hmm, what a mystery. There is no way the Empire would develop a weapon that doesn’t work. Perhaps...it uses magic?

 

Crow aimed at the wall and charged it up with his magic, the top part of it glowed, and he then pressed the trigger and a thin white light exit the barrel and pierced the wall.

 

Woah.

 

That was amazing! This was a real life ray gun!

 

He was a fan of Celestial Wars and to see a weapon being replicated in real life blew his mind. Crow was always proud that he was able to use light magic, when he infused his magic into his sword, it looked just like he was using a lightsaber.

 

Crow might have been fanboying over his new weapon, but only just a little, as he snapped out of it when he heard a chuckle.

 

“...what?” he said childishly as he held the gun closer to him. He wasn’t going to let Joker have it.

 

“You were just talking to yourself about the gun. It was cute.”

 

Crow flushed hotly as he mentally cursed, he thought he had gotten rid of that habit! His excitement must have made him unconsciously revert back to it again. This is so embarrassing! Not only did he do it in front of someone, but to a practical stranger!

 

“Don’t tell anyone.”

 

“Don’t worry, it can be our _little secret._ ” There’s that wink again.

 

‘ _Why does he have to make it sound dirty?’_ He mentally groaned.

“Fine. Let’s just check the rest of the rooms before we leave this place.”

 

They continued on their journey of exploring the rest of the area. There was nothing else worth noting in the other rooms and they didn’t find anymore guards. He guess all of them heard the siren when the first one was defeated and ran towards them.

 

As Crow left the building with Joker, he noticed that the sun has already set.

 

“Now the real mission starts!” Joker declared as Crow sighed in response.

 

They looked around to see where Ca Ong was and finally spotted it a few miles away from them.

 

“Okay. Let’s just attack and see what it can do, I doubt we can defeat it that easily so we should retreat after we get the general idea of how it attacks and then plan our real battle.” Crow sighed. He knows that he was the one who suggested this plan, but that means he has to stay afterwards and talk to Joker about their next attack. Talking to Joker... it’s going to be great.

 

“Sounds like a plan, but first **Arahabaki**!”

 

“?!” Akechi was not prepared for that. Joker was facing him as his mask disappeared, revealing his face and he was exactly who Crow suspected.

 

‘ _Is he an idiot?! Now I know who he is and can easily capture him when we go back to Tokyo.”_ Crow can’t tell if he’s cocky or just a plain idiot.

 

“Makarakarn!” A thin transparent shield appeared in front of Crow and quickly faded just as quickly. He casted it once more for himself. Crow wanted to grimace, this guy was unexpectedly nice. He was willing to show his identity just to help Crow, an enemy at the end of the day.

 

_‘Idiot.’_ Crow mentally categorized.

 

“Just in case, we don’t want to be caught unaware. This shield only repels one magic attack though so be careful.” Joker warns as he fixes his gloves.

 

“Thanks, let’s split up and attack it from different sides. We can meet back here.”

 

He gave a nod and they parted, running through the trees to get into a good location to attack.

 

Crow stopped after a few minutes of running. He climbed a tree to get himself in a better spot to use his magic against Ca Ong. Hmm, now that he thought about it, they didn’t go over what kind of signal they should give to show that they finished preparing and that they were going to start attacking. Woops. Usually Crow does a better job on planning all the minor details, but today, he just wanted to hurry and get out of Joker’s presence.

 

He felt kind of giddy about using his new weapon, he held his ray gun and charged it before shooting it straight up into the sky.

 

‘ _He should be able to see that. Looks like I’ll be the one attacking it first.’_

 

“ **Robin Hood!** Kouga!” His Persona shot an arrow of light towards Ca Ong. Now doesn’t this feel like deja vu?

 

He didn’t wait for any response before calling out “Debilitate”. As the second arrow landed on the Shadow, it exploded into a shower of light, casting its spell. This spell was unique, either all three debuffs: attack, defense, and agility down can land or they all miss. Usually when a multiple debuff spell is used, one can still land while the rest can miss. So this spell was a high risk, high reward.

 

Crow was able to tell that the spell landed because the tiny sparkles of light remained on the Shadow’s body.

 

‘ _Nice!’_

 

It looked at him and a small wave of water appeared in front of the creature and headed straight towards him.

 

Crow jumped off the tree and took off towards a different one. While he does have a shield against magic attacks thanks to Joker, he doesn’t want to waste it if he was able to easily dodge the attack. While the water missed him, he felt his magic being sealed.

 

‘ _?! Even though it missed, the aura of the attack still managed to debuff me? This Shadow really is something…’_

 

This means that Robin Hood can only use physical attacks, which the Shadow is too far for any of those attacks to be used, and the ray gun is now temporarily useless. Thank goodness he brought his normal gun.

 

He replaced his gun with the ray gun from his holster and prepared to shoot the Shadow. Crow used the rest of the bullets from the cartridge before removing it from the gun. Hmm, he should use his Vohu Manah point bullets since he was unable to use it earlier.

 

As he loaded his gun with the cartridge, he noticed that Ca Ong stopped paying attention to him and was concentrating its attacks on a different area of the forest.

 

_‘Looks like Joker’s keeping it distracted.’_ Crow thought as he took aim.

 

He unloaded a few bullets into the Shadow’s head, trying to assess the damage. He was surprised by how beneficial using the element the enemy was weak against actually was. The Vohu Manah bullets did twice the damage compared to his normal ones. If he only had room to carry them all, he would purchase all four of the main elements bullets.

 

Ca Ong let out a loud roar before diving into the ocean and usings its powerful tail to splash the whole forest.

 

Crow’s eyes widened. It looked like a huge tsunami was coming towards him. Luckily he was already on high ground so it didn’t hit him, but he felt kind of bad for the wildlife that was living there. Their fight was destroying the homes. He mentally apologize as he waited for the Shadow to re-appear from the ocean. He doubt that it would chose to retreat so easily.

 

And Crow was right. As it rose above the ocean again, he noticed that his debuff was gone and a layer of water was surrounding the creature. Crow grimaced, ‘ _was that another type of attack, a barrier, or both?’_

 

As felt his magic returning to him, he let out a grin.

 

Well he could always just debuff it again he thought as he summon Robin Hood to cast Debilitate. The arrow hit its mark as it went through the barrier and collided with the creature. Crow think it was effective...it was kind of hard to tell with the water barrier disorienting his vision.

 

He casted Kouga on the enemy, but the barrier surrounding the creature lessened the damage.

 

‘ _Shit is it trying to make me waste my magic? I’m so thankful I bought a few elixirs with me, but I’m not sure if I want to use it for a trial run...whatever, when I turn in my bounty, I will have enough to buy more.’_

 

“Eiga!” His control over dark magic is weaker compared to light. It won’t make as much damage and costs the same as using Kouga, but at least dark magic blends better with its surroundings at night time, giving him a better easier time hiding from the Shadow. Well, as long as he hid underneath the thick branches of leaves of the trees. Crow downed one elixir before he went back to his original task, making Ca Ong take down that barrier!

 

He casted one after another until finally Ca Ong let out a long wail as it flew over the forest and let down its barrier. The water changed into small droplets of blue light and it fluttered down all over the forest. It reminded him of snow with how pretty each droplets look.

 

As the magic washed over him, his shield disappeared, absorbing the damage he would’ve normally taken by the attack. He mentally thanked Joker for his quick thinking even though he didn’t like the guy. His shield managed to help him out once again.

 

As the whale glide through the skies, Akechi looked closely at the creature at how much damage they conflicted with their attacks. It looked slower than normal, the creature had bad burnt marks and bullet wounds. They might actually be able to down it if they wanted to, but Akechi is already tired due to fighting from earlier that day and he didn’t want to accidentally destroy it and not be able to record the final hit. How could he proved that he was the one who took it down if he had no proof?

 

He felt like his magic was running low after casting so many spells, he rather avoid using any more elixirs now since he felt like he’s got enough information to plan a good strategy to take down the Shadow now. Now, they just have to retreat.

 

Crow switched his normal gun to his ray gun again, charged it and shoot a great distance away from the Shadow, hoping to catch Joker’s attention.

 

He saw from the corner of his eye, a dirty looking smoke quickly rushing towards the Shadow and enveloping the Shadow. It looked pretty gross now that he was standing farther away from the spell.

 

Then the Shadow stopped attacking and drifted slowly in the air.

 

‘ _Guess Joker managed to cast sleep on it again.’_

 

He quickly fled the scene after he confirmed that the Shadow won’t be moving any time soon.

 

‘ _I wonder if Joker’s Stagnant Air is that effective, if his innate success rate with debuffs that high, or he’s just lucky two days in a row.’_ Crow wondered as he ran towards safety. It was disturbing how similar he was to Quatre. They both use daggers, have an easy time debuffing an enemy, quick on their feet, and have similar voices. Is that why he felt a bit at ease when fighting with him?

 

 

* * *

 

 

Crow panted heavily when they managed to successfully escape the Shadow. While he does try to keep himself in shape, he doesn’t run often as part of his exercise and especially not long distances! He was annoyed that Joker barely looked phased by their escape as they met up again in front of the abandoned weapons site. He was tempted to smack him or something, just so it looked like he was suffering alongside Crow too.

 

“So did you find anything interesting when fighting the Shadow?” Joker asked as Crow’s breathing went back to normal.

 

“Yes, this battle was very insightful. It’s magic attacks can also debuff the enemy, seal their magic, so we have to carry specific items. The shield it casts reduces a significant amount of damage from all types of attacks. Do you have a spell that can dispel the enemy’s buffs?”

 

“Yeah, it seems that that barrier can’t be dispelled.”

 

“Hmm, it can’t be dispel and doesn’t seem to be time based either. My bet is that casting and maintaining that shield prevents it from attacking so it doesn’t want to hold it up for a long time...”

 

Crow continued talking about his observations to Joker, making Joker feel awed at the amount of details his partner managed to find as they fought. He would make a great addition to the Phantom Thieves...if only he would accept.

 

_‘Eventually.’_ He vows.

 

Joker really feels like he would be able to get along well with the other guys (and girl), but he would still be satisfied if they only hunted bounties together too. He is interested in knowing more about Crow. How did he get his Persona? Was there also a corrupt adult in his life that made him feel frustrated with his life situation? That made him want to rebel? Was he still struggling? Is that why he became a detective? There were many questions that Joker wanted to ask, but knew Crow wouldn’t want to answer because he seems to be a private person. Well, he has time and patience to break down those walls.

 

“-unfortunately we don’t have anything that can cause paralysis on the enemy, I might need to invest in bullets that can either blind or charm it...are you even listening Joker?” His eyes narrowed at him.

 

Joker might have not have been paying full attention to Crow. Heh heh. Woops.

 

“So you just need paralysis? I know a guy who can help.” Joker said casually.

 

“!!! You do?! You’re not lying right?” Crow’s face was suddenly so close to him. Well, as close as he could be without his mask piercing Joker’s face.

 

“Yup, so we just need to formulate a plan so we can take the Shadow down.”

 

“Do you know how long the paralysis lasts for?”

 

“30 seconds give or take.”

 

Crow backs up and put his hand on his chin as he thinks. Joker kind of missed when they were standing near each other. Seeing Crow’s passionate eyes up close made him feel excited too.

 

“The best time to paralyze Ca Ong would be...after it gets rid of its annoying shield.”

 

“Why not at the beginning?”

 

“We don’t know if this Shadow can get immune overtime to the spell, so it’s better not to risk it. I also don’t think it can re-cast that ridiculous shield that quickly after it dispels it. The best time to cast the spell and take advantage of its defenselessness is after it releases the shield. We can use physical attacks too since it will fly over the forest to release its shield so we can save our magic for a while. Even if it manages to get out of the paralysis spell, we can still attack it with our full power without worrying about it’s shield for awhile. It’s better if you cast your Stagnant Air too, just so your friend has an easier time paralysing it. I could cast Debilitate also to bring down its defense so we can take it down faster. How fast can your friend come here?”

 

‘ _In a few minutes.’_ Joker didn’t tell him that though. He wanted to keep Crow all to himself for tonight. He feels like Crow might try to put on his public persona if he was surrounded by a lot of unknown people. He doesn’t want that. While his teasing might be a little too much, Joker likes seeing Crow’s hot-temper, something he knows for sure Crow wouldn’t want to show in public. He wonders how many people has gotten the privilege to see more than the detective prince persona he displays in public.

 

“I’ll bring a few people here tomorrow night. One person can be recording the battle, that way we can attack freely without worrying about recording the last attack.”

 

Crow hid his grimace. While he didn’t want other people to see his Persona and associate it with Akechi Goro, however, what Joker said does make sense...actually, he didn’t know if Joker told the other Phantom Thieves about his identity already. Why would he bother worrying about it if Joker already revealed his identity? If he did, then he would just beat the shit out of him after their battle with Ca Ong. He would wait until his teammates leave so he could kick his ass privately.

 

“You didn’t tell anyone about my identity did you?” he said accusingly at Joker.

 

“Nope, I was waiting for you to tell them yourself when you join us.”

 

“I’m not going to join you!”

 

“Yet.” He piped in.

 

“It’s not happening.”

 

Joker’s eyebrow raised as he smirks at him.

 

Crow just threw his arms in the air as he walked away, deeming this conversation over. “Okay, conversation is done. I’ll see you tomorrow at 7 o'clock in the evening.”

 

“Hey, I need your contact information before you leave.”

 

“No.” He said stubbornly. Crow knows that it was a childish response, but he just wants to get away from Joker before he blow a fuse and attacks him for being so ANNOYING!

 

“Ha ha well I need it just in case I’m running late or something unexpected happens.”

 

Crow growled. Why does Joker’s points on the serious matters have to be very logical! He want to respond no again, but doesn’t want to seem immature. He thinks about it for a moment before deciding that, no, he wants to be that jerk.

 

“Well I guess that just shows how punctual you are.” He sneers. “See you tomorrow.”

 

“Aww, see you later! Sweet dreams my prince!” Joker yelled.

 

He shivered in disgust. He can’t wait for this to be over.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I’ll hold off on writing the next chapter's fight scene I want to see how Granblue will make Joker’s charge attack. I know the other characters will make an appearance, but I wonder if some of them will be obtainable as an Sr or something.
> 
> I had to fight Ca Ong just to remember how it’s attacks look like and omg it was painful. It was only me and someone else attacking, one person paralyze and left and we had 3 leechers… We succeeded, but it took 15 minutes. I change how certain moves work and when because it flowed better this way.
> 
> Joker was fighting the whole time the battle happened, he was far though so Crow wasn’t really concentrating on him.


	9. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Crow meets the Phantom Thieves and they fight Ca Ong.

The next morning, Akechi stayed in bed, wanting to avoid getting up and facing the new day. He knows that he has to prepare for tonight, but he really really doesn’t want to see Joker again.

 

The sunlight was shining brightly on his face. He must have forgotten to close the blinds before he went to bed last night. Akechi groaned as he turned over and pulled the blanket over his head.

 

‘ _Just a few more minutes.’_ He thought as he breathed in the scent of the clean sheets. He’s thinking of Joker’s teammates and wonders what kind of personality do they have. Akechi hopes that they are nothing similar compared to their leader. He doesn’t need more people making annoying jokes or having to put up the lame flirting crap.

 

‘ _Crap, even staying in bed is just making me think about this. I can’t wait for today to be over and I get to return to my regular old life again.’_ Even though he was thinking like this, he couldn’t help but feel refreshed. It has been a lot of fun for the past few days. He felt like a normal person, a plain teenager without a morbid revenge plan against his father. A person who wasn’t causing psychotic breakdowns to the public and pretending he was solving the mysteries on why those people went insane.

 

It felt...if he was allowed to say it, liberating.

 

Now if only if he could let go of his anger.

 

It was strange that he continued to stay in Japan to be honest. If he moved and started a new life on a different island, he could have been successful. Only Japan puts a great importance about people’s heritage. No one else cares. So why would he want to continue to stay in a place where he and his mother were discriminated against. Discriminated so harshly that his mom killed herself to get away from it all.

 

He stays up at nights thinking about it sometimes. Why does he refuse to live a simpler life? How desperate was he to prove society wrong? That someone like him can live and become successful.

 

Akechi growled as he pushes that thought away as he thinks about Joker’s proposal.

 

If this mission is a success and Joker’s teammates are...tolerable, then he might continue this partnership with them. But first things first, he needs to get up to prepare.

 

With a heavy grunt, Akechi lifted himself out of the safety of his bed.

 

* * *

 

 

After putting on an outfit similar to the one he wear yesterday, he headed into the marketplace, walking towards a specific destination in mind. He turned in his bounty at Siero’s shop. She greeted him cheerfully as she took his bracelet and was looking at the pictures that he took from yesterday. After she confirmed the kills, her parrot chirped good work at him. It felt weird but strangely nice that a bird was giving him a compliment.

 

“Ah, I would also like to make a purchase if you don’t mind.”

 

Siero looks up at him and nodded, getting readying to write down his order.

 

“I would like to order one case of Titan Point. That will be all.”

 

“Ooh~ I was wondering if you were going to get it last time, what made you change your mind?” Siero asked cheerfully as she looked underneath the table.

 

“I made an alliance with someone, I want to contribute as much as I can to make this mission turn out to be successful.”

 

“I see~ I can hear a strong conviction coming from you. I wish you luck skyfarer.” She said as she hands him the case.

 

“Thank you for your words, oh I haven’t paid yet.” Akechi said as he pulled out the money.

 

“No need for that! This is my ‘I’m cheering for you’ gift.” Siero smiles as her bird gave a loud chirp and spread out its wings. He guess that was the bird’s version of good luck.

 

“Ah...Thank you. I won’t let you down.” Akechi said as he took the gift and bowed to her.

 

“None of that! Just tell me all the details when you complete your mission! I’ll be waiting~” She said as she waved him off.

 

* * *

 

 

Akechi was surprised at Siero’s generosity. He had heard that she could be very nice to the customers that she likes, but he didn’t expect that he would be included when they had only met twice so far. While he has never heard of any complaints towards Siero from her clients, he rather still keep his guard up and be careful with his words around her. Casually revealing too much information might make him regret it later down the line, especially if anyone were to find out that he was causing the psychotic breakdowns.

 

Casting aside his doubts about Siero and her intentions for a moment, Akechi took the time to properly look at the case that he just purchased. The thought of getting an item to help assist his (temporary) teammates didn’t annoy him as he thought. He never had to buy items when he had to fight alongside Quatre before. Quatre was quick with his attacks and with his various debuffs that he was able to cast, he was able to solo any creature. Akechi would assist is killing the minor monsters that would try to sneak up on Quatre. While it was interesting to learn how various monsters attacked and how effective element attacks worked against them, it felt like he was holding Quatre back. He doesn’t feel completely satisfied learning using Quatre’s method, not that it’s bad or anything! Akechi likes more of a hands-on method.

 

However with this alliance, he felt like he was on equal grounds with them. Well he only really fought with Joker, but he doesn't like feel like Joker was leagues apart from him in terms of strength. He think he will be able to contribute a lot to this team.

 

Akechi can feel excitement building in his chest as he let out a deep breathe.

 

 _‘Time to grab lunch, maybe take the chance to try the coffee here too.’_ He thought as he stashed the newly acquired item into his bag.

 

* * *

 

 

Akechi sat at the outside patio of a small restaurant. The view that he got when he picked his table was absolutely wonderful. He was able to look at the clean, beautiful city There were many vendors trying to sell their stuff in the streets but Akechi was far enough not to hear the noise. He casted his gaze at the calm blue ocean. It really was a gorgeous site during the daytime. It reminds him of the skies where he wasn’t able to see the end of it.

 

He let out a sigh as he closed his eyes and breathed in the scent of the place. It was such a pleasant smell that he couldn't get enough of. The faint scent of the ocean air.

 

“Welcome to Crepelicious! My name is Elizabeth and I'll be taking care of you today. Would you like anything to drink for starters?” A human with a soft brown wavy hair, in the light, looked more auburn. It was a pretty look. Her smile looked genuine as she looked at him patiently for his order. With the atmosphere, he felt his guard dropped a bit as he gave a smile back.

 

“Can I order a Blue Mountain coffee?”

 

“Sure! I'll be right back with your order, I'll give you a minute with the menu. Let me know if you have any questions.” She grinned as she turned and walked back into the restaurant to place his order.

 

He usually prefer his coffee on the sweeter side, so eating a sweet breakfast with a sugary caffeine drink might not be the best idea. He sighed as he looked longingly at a very delicious picture of some pancakes with various berry as toppings finished with some whipped cream on top before struggling to turn to the next page.

 

 _'Next time.’_ Akechi promised as he found another dish that he was interested in.

 

The server came back with his coffee and asked if he was ready to order. Akechi might have, just _might_ have, stuttered when placing his order. He hasn't eaten pancakes in a while so he unconsciously started to say the word pancake before quickly switching his words to omelette with mushrooms.

 

She smiled as she wrote his order and left him alone as his face was still slightly flushed at his mistake. Thankfully she didn't laugh or giggle or he would have resorted to hide his face after she left, maybe ran out of the place depending on how severe her reaction was.

 

He returned to gazing out into the view as he blew on his coffee to cool it before taking a small sip, savoring the taste. It was delicious, but it needs a bit of sugar. As he open a packet of sugar and pours in a small amount, he looks out into the city again as he picked up his spoon and slowly stirred his coffee. Auguste Isles was a beautiful place to visit, Akechi would love to come back eventually for a real vacation.

 

He watched as a child asked his parents for something from a random vendor. He tugged his father's shirt as he begged and the parents laughed before giving in and bought him the item. It turns out to be a small plush of the Primal Beast, Leviathan, guardian of the seas for this island. The scene was overall very cute, but at the same time, Akechi felt a deep feeling of envy and jealousy for that kid.

 

Something that was so normal to everyone, the ability to spend time with their family and make happy memories, Akechi only got a brief glimpse of it before his mother passed away. He doesn't blame her or anything for her choice. He was just upset that she didn’t think about him when she chose to take her life.

 

Akechi always avoided walking outside in public during holidays and summer vacations. He doesn't want to see all of the happy families walking together, holding hands, laughing while he was all alone. He still couldn't stop thinking about his past whenever he saw a happy family. Why wasn't he able to get that too? Out of all the people, why did his mother have to choose to love Shido? Akechi wanted to scowl. Everything always lead back to him. He couldn't wait until everything is over and he can finally close the chapter of his past and finally look forward to his future.

 

While the family eventually walked into the crowd, away from his sight, Akechi chose to crack open his book that he brought along for the trip. He doesn't want to see another family enjoying themselves if he could help it.

 

The server came back with his food and place the plate down gently before asking if he needed anything else. He declined and she left him with his meal.

 

The meal tasted wonderful with his coffee. Akechi was so thankful that he got used to the taste of coffee for the past year and was able to enjoy the meal.

 

He smiled as he slowly cut the omelette into bite-size pieces and placed one into his mouth. The taste was just right, extra salt was not required to be added. The mushrooms added a great texture to the food and gave the omelette more depth in terms of flavor.

 

Now that he thought about it. Maybe he should've snapped a picture of the food and drink and put it up on his food blog. It was worth commenting and recommending the place. Since his fans were all back in Tokyo (he doubted he was well-known outside Japan), he didn’t think about taking a picture for his blog. Well, this island is known as a hot destination for a vacation spot, so it wouldn’t hurt to recommend it he suppose. Since he was planning on staying here for awhile, he might as for a refill of his coffee and take a picture of the drink at least.

 

Akechi took his phone out and snapped a picture of the cute interior of the restaurant. He placed his phone onto the table before proceeding to finish his meal. It didn’t take long before his plate was empty.

 

He wiped his mouth delicately with a napkin as he placed his fork on the plate.

 

The server was very quick on taking his plate away and asking if he required anything else which he responded for a refill of his coffee.

 

Akechi returned to reading the book and opened to the most recent page he was on. He usually likes reading fantasy stories. The way authors’ would get creative with their writing and worldbuilding always managed to amaze him.

 

The latest story he was reading was about what the Crimson Horizon would look like in modern times. The author’s version of what the place looks like sounds intriguing. The world underneath was all connected by sea. People would be able to travel to each island by boat instead of airship and some islands were so huge that they have everything; volcanoes, forests, lakes, snow all put together! They had what was called four seasons, which was a period of time when the temperature of place changes according to how far the place was from the sun. Winter was when the island was furthest away from the sun, making the area cold and summer is the exact opposite.

 

The story itself wasn’t too exciting compared to the worldbuilding, however the author’s attention to minor details kept Akechi turning to the next page.

 

“Oh fancy seeing you here today. How’s the drink?”

 

Akechi glanced up, wondering who—oh, never mind. If it wasn’t considered impolite, he would’ve ignored the person and went back to reading. Instead, he let out a dazzling smile as he replied,“Good afternoon. The coffee here is actually quite good. I ordered a Mountain Blue. I’m now curious how Kona tastes like.”

  
‘ _Just pretend I don’t know his identity as a Phantom Thief.’_

 

“Mountain Blue eh?” The stranger let out a grin.

 

“...what?”

 

“If you picked Mountain Blue rather than Kona to try first, then you must have a sweet tooth.” His grin grew wider as his glasses reflected the sun and hid his eyes.

 

“W-what?!” Akechi felt his face become red. Where did that come from? It was true, but why would he suddenly say that?

 

“Well Mountain Blue tastes sweet and usually creamy with little to no bitterness. People usually don’t need to add in extra sugar or cream to it compared to instant coffee, but seeing as how you added more sugar, it’s safe to assume that you have a sweet tooth.” The stranger eyed the opened sugar packet that was sitting innocently next to his drink.

 

...it wasn’t like he was ashamed of his sweet tooth per say, but he don’t know how to feel that some stranger found out personal information about him right off the bat. There was no use in denying it since he seems to have a lot of knowledge regarding his coffee.

 

 _‘It’s not that big a deal.’_ He thought, trying to make light of the situation.

 

“What an interesting deduction.” He said, choosing not to confirm or deny it.

 

“Ha ha, it’s cute.”

 

Akechi wonders if this guy gets a kick out of this, trying to make him turn a permanent shade of red. He took a sip of his coffee, he wasn’t sure how to respond to this. If the guy isn’t going to change the topic, Akechi will have to find an appropriate response that...doesn’t revolve in punching the guy in the face. Oh, the struggle.

 

“So, what are you reading?” The guy laid his arms on top of the low white fence that was placed around the patio area.

 

‘ _The real question is why are you still here?’_ he mentally yelled.

 

“Nothing much. Just a fantasy novel. The author has some captivating aspects to his storytelling.” Akechi downplayed his current favorite fantasy author. He don’t want this guy to learn more about him...especially since he’s Joker.

 

“Mind telling me more about your book then?” He casually jumped over the fence as he took a seat next to Akechi. What.

 

_‘No. Go away.’_

 

“Hm, I’m not sure if this story would be to your liking. The author likes putting a lot of details into his universe that it takes awhile to the plot to actually start.” Which is true, but Akechi enjoys the book for that very reason.

 

“That’s what makes or breaks a book I believe. If you can’t start by making the setting believable and interesting, then how will you be able to draw in readers to the plot especially for a sci-fi or fantasy novel?”

 

“Exactly! I agree!” Akechi said enthusiastically as he leaned closer to the stranger before remembering that he shouldn’t be acting very excited about a book he was suppose to be downplaying. “Ah,” he coughed gently into his glove, “That’s true.”

 

His face flushed as he looked away. It was embarrassing how easily he managed to lose his composure. However the reason for that was because it seems like the public nowadays seem to enjoy books and movies that dive right into the plot and action. While it’s not a bad thing, those stories in general doesn’t have time to really explore the fictional universe. Akechi can’t close his eyes and imagine being in that location because it’s lacking too much in details so when he found someone who agrees with his viewpoint, he got excited.

 

“Is something wrong?” The person tilted his head in confusion when Akechi went silent all of a sudden. Akechi guessed that the guy doesn’t understand how much he unconsciously revealed about himself just now. The public has never seen him passionate about anything but justice (and that’s not even the real him). Maybe he’s not as perspective as Akechi originally thought.

 

“Ah, I just remember that I have an errand to do. Goodbye.” He said as he drank the last of his coffee and put his book back into his bag.

 

“But you never told me anything about your book.” He complained but his tone was light and teasing.

 

“Perhaps next time when we meet I suppose I can talk more about it, but I have to go now.” He stood up from his seat and gave a smile as he began to walk back into the restaurant to pay.

 

“I’ll be looking forward to the next time we meet then. See you!”

 

Akechi hesitated before nodding.

 

He was pretty confident that this person was Joker, although he was surprised on how different he was acting compared to his other self (not that he could say much about himself). There was no annoying jokes coming from him at all (although he did call Akechi cute though…). He seemed genuine about his curiosity when he was asking about Akechi’s interests. Akechi felt like this version of him...he could be on decent terms with. Now if only Joker acted like that too, it would be great. Maybe that’s why he was named Joker. All the pent up jokes from throughout the day just accumulate inside of him that when he reveals his true self, he just releases everything that was stored up. Ugh great. Akechi can’t _wait_ to hear more from Joker tonight.

 

Well no matter, this is only a one time deal anyways.

 

Guess he’ll go sightseeing until it’s time to meet up with everyone. Who knows when he will have time to come back to this island. Perhaps he’ll visit the beach. He heard they make some good unagi down by a specific coast or maybe he could try another uni dish at a different location. Now he just to find out where exactly those places were. Akechi was leaning more towards unagi since he could give his co-workers dried eel as gifts. He definitely needs to buy something more fancy for Sae since he works alongside her on cases. Maybe she would enjoy the premium grilled eel gift set. It might hurt his wallet, but she has been patient and treats him with respect ever since he started working at the agency.

 

Well, hopefully the walk will make him hungry again to try out the dish.

 

* * *

 

After walking and pigging out on the famous local cuisine, Akechi headed back to his motel to drop off the gifts he bought for his co-workers.

 

It was about time to meet up with Joker and the Phantom Thieves. He feels a bit nervous, but he’s unsure of the specific reason. It might be perhaps he’s meeting up with people his age or it could be that someone will see his Persona and knows that it came from Akechi Goro. He hopes that Joker didn’t reveal his identity to his teammates.

 

He sighs as he left his room and walked through the town, heading to the forest. There was still half an hour before the sun starts setting and there were many people walking around and checking out the food stalls and souvenir shops as he took in the sight. It felt lively that he felt he could easily be swept away by the atmosphere.

 

He doesn’t notice it when he was in Tokyo, being too busy and all, but seeing how everyone was walking around with someone by their side made him realize how lonely he felt. Akechi gritted his teeth and started walking faster towards his destination, trying to concentrate on something else. He was unaware when exactly he got into the forest until he was already deep inside it. Luckily with the light still out, he was able to make it through the forest without any trouble. Akechi might have spent more energy otherwise by casting overpowered spells just because he was feeling irritated if he were to see any monsters at the moment. He called on Robin Hood just a few meters away from the abandoned weapons site as his clothes change into his white royal outfit.

 

‘ _Time to face the notorious group.’_

 

He climbed over a few bushes and saw the building and there they were. Crow was surprised that he arrived later than them, he glanced down at his watch. He was 15 minutes before the meeting time.

 

He was hoping that he would arrive earlier than them and use it as another reason to dislike Joker and reject his offer of joining the Phantom Thieves. It sounds petty, but he was willing to use the most minor issue and blow it up so it sounds like it’s an important dealbreaker to him.

 

Crow looked at the group, he examined every single one of them and their Persona outfit. There was Joker in his...shining glory.

 

A blonde guy in a grey skull mask wearing a black jacket with matching pants consisting of gray elbow and knee pads and a red ascot.

 

A dark haired male with a traditional Japanese kitsune mask wearing a black high-collared jumpsuit with a striped sash worn across his hips. What was attached to his sash was...interesting. It was a white fox tail. He must really be influenced by kitsunes for his unconscious to create that outfit.

 

And the final person in their group was a...monstrous black cat?! It has a really big head that Crow was amazed on how it managed to lift it up. Its head is even bigger than its body! How was it possible?...it’s a legit question! It looks more like one of those mascots on television AND IT’S TALKING!?! The mouth is moving! Crow narrowed in the creature and confirm that yes, sounds were coming out of its mouth.

 

It had bright blue eyes and was wearing a yellow bandana but never mind that. How did they managed to get a monster on their side?!? Crow didn’t know there were monsters that could talk. Is it a monster? What is it? Crow has questions. A lot of questions. However, none of them could be answered by him hiding away so he took a deep breath and finally chose to reveal himself to them.

 

“You’re late.” Joker smiled.

 

‘ _What?!’_ He looked at his watch and he saw that he was still 5 minutes early. Apparently he was gawking at the monster cat for 10 minutes...

 

“Ha ha. It’s actually 6:55 so I’m not late yet.” He gave a cold smile.

 

“Wow, you look like you’re ready to stab someone. Eager to get started eh?” The guy with the skull mask said enthusiastically.

 

“...yeah. Sure, I can’t wait to finally defeat the Shadow and ease the minds of Auguste Isles.”

 

“No need to be so stuffy.” ‘ _S-stuffy?!’_ “It’s okay to admit if you just want to kick some Shadow’s ass just cause.” The guy grinned as he practiced swinging his bat.

 

“Ha..ha.” What can he say to that? If he kept continuing repeating his ‘stuffy’ words, he might irritate his new (temporary) allies, which might affect their teamwork. He looked over to Joker, hoping he would change the topic and introduce everyone.

 

“Skull, don’t tease the new guy too much. We did eventually made Queen to relax around us. Probably going to be the same with him.” Somehow he feels annoyed by those words.

 

“Anyway, let’s me introduce everyone. This is Skull, he’s cool.” Joker pointed with the blonde guy.

 

“Hell yea I am.” Skull rubbed his nose in embarrassment (or was it pleased?) as he placed the bat on his shoulder.

 

“This is Fox, he’s also cool.”

 

“It’s nice to meet you. Your outfit is very interesting I must say. It’s a nice combination of what a prince would wear and a military outfit.”

 

‘ _Not as interesting as yours’_ He thought. “Thank you.”

 

“Finally, this is Mona, he’s cute.”

 

“CUTE?! I’m cool too!” The creature yelled as he hit Joker.

 

“Ow ow, yes you’re cool too, but mostly just cute.” He defended himself from the attacks before deciding to grab onto Mona’s paws (could he call them paws or were they consider hands?) and lift him up. He grinned at Mona as he was hissed at.

 

“I’ll get you back for this!” It yelled as it tried to kick him.

 

Crow laughed at this adorable site, it reminded him on how owners’ tease their cats and Mona reacted just the same as an irritated one.

 

“Last but not least, this is Crow, our new teammate!” As he let Mona down. Mona glared at him as he ran and stood by Fox’s side.

 

His laughter stopped abruptly when he heard that. “Not teammate! This is just temporary!” Why must Joker keep saying that? He flushed, he had an outburst in front of these strangers. They didn’t seem to mind though as they looked at Joker.

 

“So we going to get the show on the road or we gonna start talking about everyone’s hobbies now?” Skull asked.

 

“I wouldn’t mind.” Joker smiled. “ My hobby is —”

 

“So I heard that you have a strategy to take down the Shadow.” Mona talked loudly over Joker. “Mind telling us what it is?”

 

“Oh. sure.” He was kind of surprised on how casual the Phantom Thieves acted around their leader. They behave as though he was more of a friend than a leader. It was strange, seeing how his only other experience with leaders was with Shido. Crow is not sure how he feels about this new version of attitude people have towards their leaders.

 

He asked everyone if they had an innate element, what kind of buff, and debuff they are able to provide. When everyone was providing this information, he revised his plan to include their specialties.

 

Crow nodded when he thought that he has a solid idea on how he wants to attack Ca Ong, he began explaining his plan. They all leaned in, eager to get started. Joker finally noticed that they weren’t paying attention to him and pouted before finally listening in on the plan.

 

He felt useful. People were looking at him, asking him questions about a plan that he created. Crow felt warmth in his chest as they agree that the plan sounds good and were trying to see what are the best positions to fight the Shadow now. He sees why people make crews and teams if this is the feeling that they would get. The feeling that everyone is important and they have a contribution that only they could provide to the team. It as an addicting feeling that it makes him tempted to continue this alliance.

 

“Is everyone prepared?” Joker asked. When everyone confirmed, he gave a nod as he turned away, facing the monstrous Shadow flying a few hundred meters away from them.

 

“Let’s go.”

 

Crow was amazed how effortlessly Joker took on the leader role, how different he was all of a sudden. He didn’t think much of it until later on how so easily it felt to fall into place, walking with the group as Joker led the way as though he belonged with them for that moment.

 

* * *

 

 

“We did it!” Everyone cheered as they gave each other a high-five.

 

Akechi remained shocked. The fight ran more smoothly than he thought. Ca Ong didn't do any more special attacks that he and Joker hadn't encountered yet. He stood there dazed at how easy everything was as the Phantom Thieves were busy congratulating each other. He probably would've stood there in silence a little bit longer if someone didn't come behind him and suddenly slap his back. Hard.

 

“Hey new guy! Nice work on the battle plan!” Skull said as he pat his back a couple of times. He almost made Akechi fall forward with how much strength he put into his slaps, but he didn't seem to notice as he turned and walked towards Fox.

 

“Hey Fox! Did you get a good shot of me paralyzing the enemy? I hope you got a badass recording of everything. I wonder if Siero would be willing to make a copy for us. This is our best battle yet! Panther and Queen are going to be so jealous that they were left out of this.” Skull said as he put his arms behind his head.

 

' _So they have 2 more members that I haven't met yet…’_ Crow mentally note down as he turned his attention towards the Phantom Thieves’ interaction with each other. Skull seems to be very physical with his interactions. No one seems to be shying away though, unlike Crow.

 

He couldn't prevent himself from flinching as a hand grasped onto his shoulder briefly before leaving.

 

“Good job out there. No one got any injuries from this fight. Your plan worked out perfectly.”

 

Crow turned his head to look at Joker.

 

“...thanks.” he said as he turned his head. Crow was not used to genuine compliments and wasn't sure what kind of expression his face would be making. He definitely doesn't want Joker to see it.

 

“You did a good job too. Everyone had an important part to play, that's why this fight went so smoothly.” he admitted.

 

“Aw. Thanks~” An arm suddenly wrapped around his shoulders, pulling him into a loose hug to Joker. He couldn't help himself from tensing up.

 

He doesn't want to be a dipshit and ruin the moment by saying something while they were still celebrating just because he was a little uncomfortable.

 

 _'Endure it Akechi.’_ He thought as he grit his teeth together.

 

“Aw, is that a gun in your pocket or you're just happy being close to me?” He jokes as he squeezes Crow’s shoulder. Their bodies were so close, one might even say they look like they were attached by the hip. But they weren’t hugging front...to front.

 

' _Fuck this asshole. This isn't worth the stupid jokes._ ’ Akechi jabbed harshly into the side of Joker. Joker immediately let go on Crow and grabbed his injured side as he gasped in pain.

 

Crow let a small smirk grow on his face before wiping all evidence of humor on his face.

 

“Oh goodness! Did the Shadow managed to get a hit in after all?” Crow put his hand over his mouth in ‘shock’ as he talked.

 

“Do you need a potion Joker? I don't know any healing spells.” He shook his head sadly as he admitted the limitations of his knowledge. Crow leaned forward to ‘look’ at Joker’s injury but he was actually concentrating on Joker’s face. He didn’t think he was a sadistic person, but Joker somehow rubs him the wrong way. While Joker likes to make stupid jokes, Crow enjoys sending that bastard into a world of pain. That’s like an appropriate punishment right?

 

“Joker! I'll heal you! I still have a lot of Mana leftover from the fight!” The monster cat came running towards them.

 

“Ouch… no. It's fine.” He grunted as he gave a pained smile.

 

“You sure Joker? We don't have any requests at the moment. I don't mind using my power.” Mona said uncertainly as he held his hands up, ready to cast a spell.

 

‘ _Requests?’_ he wonders as he put that information in the back of his mind.

 

“Yes, are you _sure_ Joker?” Crow chirped cheerfully.

 

“Thanks for the concern guys, but it's nothing serious. The pain is pretty much gone now.” He said as he straightened himself. He had something in his hand, before Crow could take a good look at what it was Mona said something to him.

 

Mona frowned before deciding to leave the situation alone. He turned to Crow and asked. “Hey Crow! Do you need any healing or anything?”

 

Crow blinked a few times in surprised. The battle was over, why would they still bother being nice to him when he doesn't have any physical injuries.

 

“Are...you not okay?” Mona scrutinized him more closely. “I’ll take care of it!”

 

He held his hands out again, but now towards Crow.

 

He quickly snapped out of it and stated, "No! No, I'm fine!” As he shook his hands in the air.

 

“Thank you Mona.” He let out a smile.

 

“You need to respond faster Crow, I got worried there for a second. Status effects especially mental ones are very dangerous even if they doesn't last long. You always got to be careful with them and get rid of them asap!” He lectures as he licked his hands...and proceeded to clean himself. What. He was getting scolded by a creature who was in the middle of cleaning himself? How...awkward.

 

 _‘...well he does sort of look like a cat, a big headed monster cat, but nonetheless it's not totally out of the ordinary if he behaves like one too right?’_ Crow reasoned.

 

“I apologize. Thank you for your advice Mona.” he said as he let a small bow towards the creature.

 

Mona puffed up at the compliment turning away from them.

 

“Fox, let me see the video too! I want to impress Ann-dono!” Mona ran off to Fox too.

 

“Keep dreaming cat!”

 

“I’m not a cat!”

 

“So what do you think? Isn't this fun? Doesn’t it make you want to join the Phantom Thieves?” A voice came from his left.

 

“Hm.” Crow put his hand to his chin, looking off to the side.

 

“Nope.” He said cheerfully as he smiled at Joker.

 

“Dang, why did I fell for that again…?” Joker frowned in disappointment. He was hoping Crow would say yes after meeting most of the members and seeing how efficient their teamwork was. It would be interesting to see how Queen and Crow would plan their strategies on stealing the heart of their next target. Would they be able to work together or spend more time clashing with each other? It would have been fun to have him join, however, Joker doesn’t see a way to convince him. He doesn’t think annoying Crow would work again.

 

Joker sent him a sad face, eyes widening as he pouted at him. He doesn’t know how effective this would be with his mask but he’s got to try it anyways!

 

‘ _What, what is he doing?’_ Crow thought as he shifted uncomfortably.

 

“Please?” Joker plead as he removed his mask, making his face fully visible, hoping that it’s working.

 

“S-stop whatever you’re doing. You’re just making a weird expression.”

 

“W-weird?!” Joker said aghast. Panther lied to him?! She said she swooned a bit when she saw it. Guess he has to practice on the mirror until he perfects the look then he thought determinedly.

 

“Told you Joker! That face doesn’t work! Finally, someone who agrees with me.” A hand casually grabbed his shoulder and pulled him close.

 

“Why was he pouting anyways? What is Joker trying to make you do?”

 

“He’s trying to make me join the Phantom Thieves, I rejected his offer.”

 

The hand suddenly disappeared from his side as Skull gave a confused “huh?”

 

Crow sighed a breath of relief. He doesn’t know how to tell Skull to respect his fucking personal space.

 

He guess Joker didn’t reveal his identity to his crewmates which he’s thankful for.

 

“My personal views conflict with the Phantom Thieves. I want to believe in the system. But…” He felt embarrassed to say the continue his words. “...I suppose I wouldn’t mind joining up once in a while to collect bounties.”

 

“Aw, hell yeah!” Skull cheered.

 

Joker chuckles. At least it's not a total rejection. He could work with it. He put his right hand forward.

 

“I'm looking forward to our new relationship.” He said with a wink.

 

“...yeah.” _'must he use the word relationship?’_ He raised his hand to grip Joker's hand into a firm handshake.

 

“Welcome to the Phantom Thieves.”

 

“I'm not a part of your team!” Crow shouted as his hand squeezes Joker’s. It was getting somewhat painful, but Joker continued onwards.

 

“Not yet~ ow!” Joker didn't expect his foot to be stepped on.

 

Crow released his hand and raised it to his mouth, “oh dear, what's wrong Joker? You should tell Mona if you have any injuries. Perhaps I should call him over.”

 

“Ack, no that's fi—”

 

Crow interrupted him before he could finish his sentence, “Mona! Joker still sustained some injuries! He needs some healing.”

 

“Got it! Joker you liar!” The monster cat immediately ran back and casted a spell as he lectured Joker in the dangers of hiding his injuries.

 

Crow let out a soft laughter. Perhaps being in this alliance might be fun. He only agreed originally to gain more experience in fighting against monsters and Shadows. It was beneficial to have other people to watch his back just in case he messed up since he is still pretty new to this, but seeing how everyone casually behaves around one another makes him look forward to the next mission. It felt nice to be included and they seem to tolerate his presence at the very least so perhaps he could pretend for a moment that he was just a normal kid.

 

‘ _I wonder how the rest of the other Phantom Thieves are like.’_ He let out a smile as he watched Mona continue to lecture Joker with Skull laughing in the background and Fox was...writing in a notepad? He even didn't notice where Fox was hiding it. How...intriguing.

 

Joker felt the presence of someone staring at him and met the firm gaze of Crow. He let out a smile as he stared at their ‘new member’. This is only the beginning for the Phantom Thieves after all.

 

Outtake

“Hm, I’m not sure if this story would be to your liking. The author likes putting a lot of details into his universe that it takes awhile to the plot to actually start.”

 

“I don’t mind. It’s like foreplay before you get to the good part. It’s all going to be worth it in the end.” He winks.

 

Akechi mentally gagged.

 

‘ _Nope, I’m out of here.’_

 

“Ha..ha…” He laughed weakly.

 

“Well...I need to go...somewhere.” Akechi lifted himself out of the chair and ran into the restaurant to pay for the bill as the stranger watched him left, smirking.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the wait. Hmm looks like Joker and Crow’s relationship right now is similar to Drang and Strum (the comedy part, trust level isn’t that high yet).
> 
> I hope this was worth the 3 months wait. I was debating on writing the fight with Ca Ong with the whole group but decided against it since it won’t be much different from their first one.
> 
> I changed the last scene of the previous chapter. It makes more sense now since they were only in a temporary alliance compared to now.
> 
> Please let me know if there is any inconsistencies with my story.
> 
> SSR Joker is so OP. He’s still on my main team. >: D His voice might have influenced my decision.
> 
> Originally I was going to end this story here, but I had an idea on how to incorporate more Granblue stuff and characters into this story. Look forward to it everyone.


	10. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Akechi goes to visit Quatre and his siblings and chaos happens

So...Akechi gave Joker his number. 

Does he regret it? Yes, very much so. 

If Mona had a phone, he would’ve given it to him even though Joker is the leader of the Phantom Thieves. Because fuck that guy.

_ As they were separating and saying goodbye, Joker asked Akechi for his phone number so they could keep in contact and plan their next meet-up. _

_ He sighed, tired from dealing with Joker and the battle, he gave in easily. He turned back to Joker and replied. "...fine. I don’t have my phone on me so hurry and take yours out. I’m only going to bother saying it once. It’s -"  _

_ He recited his number and grinned as Joker struggled to find his phone and hurried to input his number in. Crow should have done the mature thing and waited patiently as Joker pulled out his phone and told him he was ready….but he doesn’t give a shit if this was childish, he was going to enjoy every second of it. _

_ "Okay, got it. I’ll just put this number under lover~" _

_ Crow’s grin immediately dropped as he felt goosebumps rising from his arms. _

‘Ugh. Gross. That’s it. I need to get out of here.’ 

_ “Woah Joker! Bring it down a notch!” He heard Skull laughed in the background as he left them. He hopes Joker isn’t going to be as annoying on the phone as he was in real life. _

And he was. Well Joker doesn’t really do the flirty bullcrap as much, but he likes talking and asking questions. A lot. 

It’s kind of depressing, but he messages Akechi more than everyone else on his phone all combined. 

**Joker:**

**Good morning! How are u today? :)**

**Same as always.**

**Have you found a new bounty for us?**

**Where should we meet up?**

**Joker:**

**Nope. Just wanted to talk to u.**

**…**

**Joker:**

**Gotta know more about our new member.**

**I’m not a part of your group!**

**Joker:**

**:’(**

And that’s the basic gist of their conversations. It’s only been a week and Joker always find time to message him sometime during the day, EVERY SINGLE DAY. 

He makes a casual joke here or there, ask what Akechi’s opinion is on something or what his likes and dislikes are, and talks about his day. It’s like he’s pretending that they’re friends or something which they are not! And Akechi plans to keep it that way.

Everything else felt like it returned back to normal again. Akechi went to school, solve cases for his detective agency, cause some psychotic breakdowns for Shido. Same old, same old.

He didn’t bother going back to Helen’s whatever show to report that he took down Ca Ong. It was obvious since the Shadow hasn’t appeared there anymore, but he kind of regret not being able to see her face when he tells her the information. Oh well. There’s better things to do than to prove how useful he was to a stranger.

For all of the hectic crap that came with this issue, Akechi did enjoy meeting Quatre’s siblings and want to visit them again. They were adorable and wished him luck for his fight with Ca Ong. They were a pleasant bunch, Akechi wanted to give them something as a thank you gift since he did receive a huge payout for the Shadow even after splitting it with the Phantom Thieves. He has free time today and had already contacted Quatre that he was going to be visiting. There was no response yet, but Akechi doesn’t mind stopping by for a few minutes to drop off the gifts if he was currently out on a mission.

He already bought them a few souvenirs from Auguste Isles, the latest popular board games and card games for the kids to enjoy, but perhaps he should buy some seeds so they could grow some crops too. He was debating if he should buy tomato or carrot seeds at the moment. Akechi finally shrugged before purchasing both and a book regarding how to take care of plants.

Akechi grinned as he stuffed everything neatly into his book bag. He slung the bag over his shoulder as he thanked the lady before leaving Junes. 

He wondered what the kids were up to as he walked through the streets of Tokyo.

 

* * *

 

 

It was quiet. Too quiet. It was almost eerie how silent the town is.

Akechi would’ve thought that there would be a lot of noise during the daytime since this town was only filled with children. However, he guessed he was only at the entrance and everyone might all be eating lunch or somewhere further in town.

He shrugged before walking past the entrance walls. He still remembered the basic layout since Quatre and the children gave him a grand tour. Akechi smiled at remembering how enthusiastic they were to meet him. 

He eventually stopped in front of the dining hall. It’s weird now that he still hasn’t seen or heard anyone yet while walking in the town. Where did everyone go? He hopes that he was just being paranoid...he frowned as he opened the doors slowly.

“Hello?” He peeked his head in. He didn’t see anyone.

“W-who’s there?” A scared voice called out.

“It’s Akechi...is everything alright?” He narrowed his eyes, observing the place more closely now, trying to find out where the voice was coming from as he walked in further into the building. Of course everything isn’t alright, but Akechi needs more information and hopefully these people could tell him something.

A small head peeked out from the kitchen area, Akechi could see how frightened the kid was before he ran up and hugged him. He was shocked and confused. No one ever came to him for comfort before (he could count the amount of times he’s been hug on one hand). He needs to find out what the hell is happening that a kid feared for his own life. 

Akechi awkwardly patted the kid’s head and placed his other hand on the kid’s back. Should he pick the kid up or put the kid behind him as he take a look around? Was it acceptable to pick up the kid or weird since the second time that they met? He bit his lip, he doesn’t know what is the best way to handle the situation. However, he knows that they can’t stay in this area for long if there’s a potential enemy walking around. This building has large windows that anyone could easily break to get in, making it unsafe to take cover in here.

There were more kids that slowly appeared from the kitchen, some of them were even holding weapons to defend themselves. Akechi felt his throat tighten at the sight. Even he wasn’t that young when he held up his first sword, his eyes stared sadly at the trembling small hand.

“Hello.” He said softly, hoping to look as harmless as possible. “Do you know where Esser-san or Quatre are? Why aren’t you with them?”

“Emilia got sick from those bad guys outside town. Quatre-nii went after them.” The child’s voice was muffled by Akechi’s coat. Akechi’s fingers ran through the kid’s hair, he hoped he was able to calm the kid down a bit by doing this.

“I see, where’s Esser-san then? I’ll bring you guys to her.” 

The kids slowly walked towards Akechi while he asked questions. They lowered their weapons but they never fully put them away. He was sad to see that they didn’t feel safe enough in their own homes to sheath their weapons, but he put that thought away as he tried to gather information.

“Esser-nee, I think, went into the sleeping quarters with Emilia. We were about to follow her but we heard loud noises and ran in here.” The kid put on a brave face, but he couldn’t stop himself from sniffling. 

“Hey, hey. It’s alright. We’ll just go there then. You have me, the person who defeated Ca Ong, so you don’t have to worry anymore.” Akechi felt embarrassed that he was boasting out loud but he needs the kids to be optimistic and calm so they would be willing to move to a different location. It was one thing to boast to the adults and people who look down on him, but it’s another thing when someone was actually interested.

The kids’ eyes widened in amazement. The kid that was holding onto him finally loosened his grip to look up at him.

“You beat it?!” They shouted excitedly, their fear being forgotten at the moment. 

While Akechi didn’t want them to make a lot of loud noises in fear of any intruders still loitering around, he couldn’t bare to tell them to quiet down. He kept glancing at the open door, making sure that they weren’t suddenly going to get ambushed by anyone.

“Yes. I’ll tell you more about it later. Let’s go find Esser-san and everyone else first so I could tell everyone at the same time.” He said with a grin.

They nodded enthusiastically. 

“Okay, can you tell me where the sleeping quarters are? I’ll lead you guy there.”

They all chattered at once while Akechi was trying to decipher their words. He think he knows how to get there now, but he repeats everything just in case. After receiving their confirmation that everything was correct, Akechi took his gun out and pointed it to the ground. He shouldn’t need to use his Persona. He believes that his light (and dark) spells and his gun should be good enough to fend off anyone. While his Persona is more powerful, the attacks and spells take longer to cast so he rather not use it unless he’s desperate.

He ordered everyone to stay behind him as he led them outside, checking to see if the coast was clear. After confirming that he didn’t see or hear anyone, Akechi nodded at them and walked out. The progress was so slow, he had to hide at every corner, checking to see if there was anyone around the corner. Luckily, they never found any intruders as they walked to the sleeping quarters. Quatre must have chased all of them out.

Akechi looked at the kids and said that they should announce themselves first before going in, just to make the others aware that they weren’t the enemy and attack them blindly when they come inside.

The kids knocked and said their names before Akechi said his name too and opened the door. He peeked his head inside just to make sure that the kids’ information were indeed correct before letting them inside.

The scene was chaotic when he opened the door. There were kids running around or standing still to watch Esser and the sick child.

Akechi peered behind him to make sure he doesn’t see anyone before closing the door gently and walked up to her while putting the safety back on his gun and putting it away. She looked stressed trying to take care of the sick Erune while a few of the kids were watching worriedly over the scene. Some of the others were scrambling around, getting water or towels to help the poor child. He doubt that they have a lot of knowledge about the medical field other than the basic first aid. Quatre and his sister were the oldest of the group and they were only around 17 years old.

Akechi was willing to admit that he also doesn’t have a lot of medical knowledge either so he asked Esser if he could call a doctor for Emilia. While Esser frowned, she agreed that having the child be looked over by a doctor is the best choice so Akechi looked on his phone for the nearest doctor. He found a doctor in a small clinic 30 minutes from here. He decided to give them a call and after a few rings, someone picked up the phone.

“This is Takemi speaking.” A female voice spoke.

“Hello? I have a child that just consumed an unknown drug. She has fallen ill and I was wondering if you were able to come here to check up on her? I also wanted to know if I could do anything in the meantime to help her.”

“I see. Unfortunately I don’t take house calls, I highly recommend that you take her to the hospital and have her get checked out.” 

Akechi’s heart drop, Yongen-Jaya was the closest district to this town. If he tried finding a doctor from a different place, who knows what will happen to the child in the meantime. He refused to let someone innocent die in front of him, especially not a child! “You are the closest doctor that I could find, please reconsider! We live outside Tokyo so sending her to the hospital is not possible at this moment.” He asked desperately.

“...I see.” She paused for a moment while Akechi was waiting anxiously for her answer. “Tell me the side effects and we’ll go from there. What town are you in?”

“Thank you! We are located in Stardust Town.” Akechi said in relief. “Okay, her symptoms are —” he began listing them. She listened to him patiently before telling him the best way to help the patient was make her vomit the drug out. Takemi was planning on packing a few things then head out towards them, she gave him her cell phone number and told her to call him if anything changes in the meantime. Akechi thanked her profusely before hanging up the phone. He repeated what the doctor said to Esser.

While he was wondering about something for awhile, he finally found the right moment to ask his question.

“Uh, where is Quatre? I heard he was chasing the intruders out, shouldn’t he be back by now?”

Esser looks exhausted when he asked the question. He could see the stress lines when she frowns. If she was Sae, he would try to lighten the mood with a joke about it. However, he’s not sure how Esser would respond to his jokes, especially since one of her family members is currently sick. She hesitated, “...he’s most likely cleaning out their hideout.”

“I see…?” He’s not sure why that’s a bad thing, if those people live just outside Stardust Town, wouldn’t Esser want them to move farther from their hometown?

Esser could sense his confusion as she went to explain further into detail.

“He’s going to kill all of them. I don’t like it, but I can’t argue against him now, not when they drugged one of our own and tried to overtake our home.” She clenched the towel tightly in her hand, her face darkens at the memory. 

Akechi looked at her fist before pondering what his next words should be. While he doesn’t condemn Quatre’s actions, Akechi personally doesn’t kill people. It takes a lot of strength to end someone’s life and he doesn’t want to be the one making that choice (he already knows the loss of his mom’s death and he rather not make anyone else go through that with his actions). He wonders what Esser would want in this situation. “...what do you want Esser-san? What do you want to do to resolve this or what was your plan originally?”

Esser smiled bitterly, her Erune ears lowered in response. “Of course I want to protect my family, that’s why I joined the Eternals and became the strongest gunsman out there, but violence isn’t the key. It won’t solve our problems, but only induce the flames of our rivalry. I was hoping that the mafia were going to back off after they heard of our statuses as the Eternals, but I suppose I was foolish to believe so. I have managed to prevent Quatre from destroying their base until now, but I fear that the mafia’s action this time will successfully push him over the edge.” 

Akechi felt bad for her; he understands her point very well. Even if this mafia is killed off, their family members or another gang who is in an alliance with them will attempt to fight back. Revenge is a great motivation after all (Akechi is all too familiar with that concept). 

He looks at her as he asked neutrally, “Do you still believe that? After everything that happened?”

Her eyes were fierce as she responded with one word. “Yes.”

Akechi let out a smile. “Then I’ll go find him. I don’t know if I could stop him, but I remind him there are still other choices other than violence.”

Esser finally smiled for the first time today. 

“Thank you.”

 

* * *

 

 

Akechi took off after Esser told him where the Mafia’s base was. He could hear very loud screaming off in the distance after leaving the town. He ran faster, trying to get to the scene, hoping he could get to Quatre in time before anything drastic happens.

“I’ll fucking kill you! Then I’ll massacre the rest of you shitheads so my family will never have to live in fear ever again!”

“AHH!” The men started screaming as Quatre prepared his daggers and got into his fighting stance.

The scene was horrifying to see, there were bodies on the floor with slash marks on them. The blood pooling beneath them doesn’t seem to be too bad though. It looks like they haven’t lost too much blood that they were in the danger of dying from blood loss. Those guys should be able to survive at the moment unless Quatre plans on finishing them off.

“Wait! Wait! You there! Please help us! You can’t let him get away with this!” One of the guys begged for Akechi’s help as he just arrived at the scene as a bystander.

“Wait Quatre.” he said as he calmly walk toward the enraged Erune.

“Huh?!” Quatre turned and glared at him. His eyes flashing with hatred as he stared Akechi down.

Those men seem to calm down a bit now that Akechi chose stepped in. Well they’re going to be in for a surprise.

“You can’t kill them yet. At least wait until I leave before you go through with it. I can’t be associated with this scene.” Akechi felt a little sadistic, he wants those assholes to sweat in fear like how they made those children feel after their town got attacked.

“Then hurry up the fuck up and leave! I’m not letting any of these insects get away. I’ve been tolerant of their existence for awhile and this is how they want to behave? By poisoning my family?! Fuck that shit! They deserve what’s coming to them!” He yelled as swung his daggers.

“Okay, but calm down first. You’ll become reckless if you let your anger control your actions. You taught me that Quatre. Remember that you have a family to return home to,” he said.

Quatre’s breathing seemed to slowly turned back to normal as he glanced between Akechi and the guys pathetically whimpering on the floor.

“Tch, my sister sent you didn’t she.” He scoffed. “If I have to dirty my hands so my family can live in peace, then that’s a sacrifice I’m willing to accept.”

“...I can’t tell you what’s the best choice in this situation, but killing these guys might send a bad message to your family, that the only solution to end conflicts is to kill your enemy. There are other ways to punish someone without death. I’m sure you can think of another method that could prevent these guys from coming back. Giving them first hand experience about the wrath of an Eternal would send a good message I would think.” He smiles innocently. Akechi hopes that Quatre gets the message. 

Quatre’s mouth twitched upwards at the suggestion. “I forgot why I found you interesting. It’s fun to see when you reveal your sadistic side.”

Akechi felt flustered over his words. He usually tried to hide his less than ideal self, but Quatre already saw that side of him when they first met. He didn’t know that someone would actually accept and even like that side of him, but he feels very fortunate that he became friends with Quatre.

He smiled and said, “Give them hell Quatre.”

Quatre’s grin was full of teeth as he lifted his weapons and charged at them. The mafia guys were slowly trying to edge away while they were talking, but they never took the chance to start running...until they saw Quatre’s new facial expression.

Letting those guys live might be a mistake. If they know his name, they could possibly spread rumors about Akechi’s sadistic side and try to ruin his reputation, but he found that he doesn’t care at the moment. As long as Quatre doesn’t regret his choice later, Akechi is satisfied. Besides, if anything, Shido will take care of the problem and he doesn’t give a shit if Shido’s hands were stained with red.

_ ‘Well, it’s time to see if the doctor was here yet.’ _ He thought as he left the scene, listening to the screams of Quatre’s victims.

 

* * *

 

 

By the time, Akechi came back and the doctor was already there and was examining Emilia. 

Everyone was watching carefully, trying to see what the verdict was 

“Emilia is going to fine...right?” Jacob asked. 

Esser went to hold that child’s hand as she said quietly, “let the doctor work.”

He bit his lip as his tears threatened to fall. 

They waited patiently as she did her work. It was deathly quiet. Akechi couldn’t help but to recall the moment after his mother’s death and how quiet everything was around him. He clenched his fists as he hoped that he was able to call the doctor in time, that this will not be a repeat of his past. Akechi doesn’t even know this child, and he was surprised that he was emotionally invested in her well-being. It was strange.

He crossed his arms as his right hand grabbed the fabric of the coat on his left elbow. Akechi prayed. He hasn’t prayed in a long time, not since his mother passed away, but he prayed that this child survives.

It took awhile before the doctor confirmed that Emilia was going to be fine. She gave her active charcoal which apparently prevents the body from absorbing the poison. She also hook an IV bag to make sure Emilia gets her fluids back after she trying to vomit the unknown drug out.

He let out a relief sigh and smiled as everyone hugged each other. Esser profusely thanked the doctor as she put her instruments away. He also went up to them to thank her.

“Thank you for taking your time to come here Takemi-sensei.”

She nodded as she closed her bag. “Don’t worry about the bill for now, I’ll send it to you later when she gets better. Well if that’s everything, I need to get back now.”

“Please allow me to walk back with you.” Akechi said.

She gave him a long look. “There’s no need for that, I do have some experience in self-defense afterall.” Takemi smiled wickedly as she help out a scalpel. Akechi didn’t know where she pulled that out (her lab coat? Are doctors supposed to store their tools in there?) and he wasn’t sure that he wanted to ask about it. 

“Oh I wasn’t doubting your self-defense skills. I wouldn’t think a doctor would be willing to go through a forest filled with monsters and bandits without any form of combat skills. I actually need to go back to the city too and was wondering if I could accompany you.”

He could tell that her amusement rose at his reply. “Not a bad deduction. Very well, let’s get going then. I need my caffeine boost before heading back to my clinic to finish some last minute paperwork.” 

She turned to the kids and Esser, “Remember what I told you and let me know her progress, okay?”

“Yes, thank you very much!” Esser bowed deeply that her light pink braids touched the floor. 

“Everyone, thank the doctor.” She said while bowing.

“Thank you sensei!” 

Takemi looked a bit stunned before quickly recovering herself. “There’s no need for that. I’m just doing my job.” She muttered.

Esser stood up, smiling. “You’re the first one adult who went out of their way to help us. You have our thanks. Whatever you need, the Eternals Esser and Quatre will come to your aid.”

“Blah, kids nowadays are too straightforward. I don’t know how you’re not embarrassed after saying all that.” Takemi smoothed her hair as she avoided eye contact with everyone, a light blush was seen across her cheeks. “Hopefully you won’t need to see me anymore after this.”

“I hope to visit you as a friend the next time I see you. I’ll make sure to bring a thank-you gift when I visit the city next time.”

“Okay, enough mushy talk, I’m taking my leave now.” She looks at Akechi. “Let’s go kid.”

As she turn to leave, Akechi waved to the kids and said goodbye. “Please say bye to Quatre for me.”

Esser gave a nod and a grateful smile as she bid them farewell.

As they were walking out of town, Akechi remembered something. 

“I never told you my name did I? I’m Akechi Goro.” He said as he walked besides her.

“Thanks, but I don’t bother remembering names unless they’re my patients.” She looked at him critically as they left town. “I don’t mind having another guinea pig though, I’ll give you a discount on my medications if you’re willing to help me out. There are some side effects to my clinical trial though, the worse case so far is that the patient blacked out. Not a bad deal right?” Takemi smiled darkly at him as she finished her sentence.

“Ah...ha...ha. I’ll think about it.” He laughed nervously. “I travel around Tokyo often, I’m not sure if I have time to participate in a clinical trial, I apologize for that.”

“That might also help…” She muttered. Akechi was curious on what she was thinking. 

“That might work out.” She said. “You could grab my packages for me. I run an independent clinic so if I could save money on shipping then that’s fine with me. However officially you need to work as part of my clinic to get the packages since I order specific chemicals that can only be given to labs, hospitals, or clinics. What do you think? Is this doable?” She gave him a side glance.

“Yes, that seems like a good deal and it wouldn’t be strange that an employee receives some type of benefit for working.” If he wants to gain more experience in battle, having someone supplying him medication would work it. Potions and elixirs are great, but he also wants painkillers and sleep aids.

‘ _ A detective while working at a clinic and collecting bounties on the side. I hope people don’t think I’m so poor that I need to work 3 jobs.’  _

They exchange phone numbers and he peeked at what she wrote under as his contact name.  _ Guinea Pig Employee. _ He sweatdrops. It seems that she still hasn’t given up on trying to get him to participate in her clinic trial.

As they continued their idle chat, eventually they made it back to the outskirts of Tokyo.

“Well I’m going to a coffee shop in Yongen-Jaya, do you want to come along?”

“Yes, I am also in need for some coffee to get back home.”

“I really enjoy this place, it’s small and quiet. The coffee is quite good also.” As they walked, she pointed down the street to their right and stopped walking. “Oh, my clinic is going to be on the left, going up the stairs.”

“I see.”

“Let’s hurry, I don’t usually stay in the area this late, I don’t know when the cafe closes.”

They continued their walk and finally they were outside the cafe. 

“Thank goodness they’re still open. I’m not sure where I would have to go as a back-up around here if they were closed.”

Takemi opens the door and the doorbell’s soft chimes alerted everyone of their presence, which turns out to be two people. 

‘ _ It really is quiet.’ _

Takemi sat in front of the bartender counter. Akechi hesitated before taking her right side, sitting next to an old yellow telephone. There was a nice painting of a woman in a bright red sweater holding a baby while gazing lovingly at him. The painting looks very familiar, but the title of it eludes him. He knew that it was related to Madarame and that he stolen it from a pupil of his, but that was as far as his knowledge goes. 

He didn’t know how relaxed he was until a voice appeared behind him. “Lovely painting isn’t it? Even though I have seen this painting many times, it still manages to leave me in awe each time I see it.”

Akechi tensed at the voice before turning towards it. He saw a teenager with dark blue hair, his bangs parted right in the middle. He looks like one of those ikemen that women would go crazy for and he wore a Kosei High uniform. Akechi wasn’t surprised that the stranger was interested in art since Kosei was known for their art program. However, he looks familiar… Akechi was trying to place where though. He searched through his memory before narrowing down on one person. 

Could it be a coincidence? Joker did recommend him this coffee shop, maybe he told his little party too.

“Yes, it truly is.” Akechi responded. He has a feeling that this person might be a Persona-wielder so he closed his eyes to concentrate. 

He wasn’t sure why but he has an ability to sense if someone had the ability to summon a Persona. It wasn’t a skill from either Robin Hood or Loki, but it’s useful when Shido demanded that he cause a psychotic breakdown on a Persona user. Since it takes a bit of time and a great amount of concentration, he doesn’t use it fairly often. 

He wonders if anyone else had this ability too or was he the only one who was special? 

The person stopped talking to him too, making it easier for him to focus in his surroundings. 

After taking a minute or two, Akechi can confirm that he does have one. There’s a high chance that this person is Fox...goddamnit it, he just wanted to relax and somehow on his off-time, he managed to find the identity of another Phantom Thief. It’s not 100% confirmed, but his appearance does match Fox’s.

“You planning on ordering something kid?”

‘ _ Oh crap!’ _ He flinched at the voice.

Akechi opened his eyes, he only came in and sat down so far. Akechi blushed as he weakly smiled as he looked to the left where the menu that was hanging from the ceiling. 

“Can I order a Blue Mountain coffee?” He asked.

“Coming right up.” The barista said as he proceed to make Akechi’s order. 

“Boss, I must thank you for the coffee, it was wonderful as always.” Fox said as he lifted his bag and walked towards the door. The doorbell rang as he opened the door and left into the night.

Akechi mentally sighed, maybe now he could finally relax. His coffee was placed in front of him as he said thanks to the barista. He lifted his cup and took a small sip. Akechi could bask in the taste of this coffee. He had this specific coffee bean before at Auguste, but somehow this place made it better and he wasn’t sure how that was possible. He could see why a few people had recommend the place to him.

As he proceeds to savor his coffee, the doorbell jingled as the door opened once again. 

“Oh it’s you again. How’s the coffee?” 

Fuck relaxing. Apparently it’s overrated. Akechi slowly opened his eyes and glanced at the door. If he was any trying to be any less than perfect, he would have spat out his coffee after seeing him.

There he was, Joker, standing and smiling without a care in the world.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter actually came out fairly quickly because I had written a specific scene beforehand and writing the chapter revolving around that scene wasn’t so bad. Now it’s going to be slow from this point onwards.


	11. Chapter 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Akechi and Joker talk longer than 5 seconds.

‘ _ Do I know you?’  _ He was tempted to ask, but managed to held his tongue at the very last minute. He doesn’t want to look like an ass in front of a stranger and his new employer so he settled with a more welcoming tone. Akechi might have smile more widely, showing more teeth than usual when he aimed it in Joker’s direction though, but the others wouldn’t be able to see it because his back was facing them.

“Hello. It’s good actually.”

Joker smiled at his reply. 

“Oh? So you met guinea pig already?” Takemi pipes up. 

_ ‘How does she know Joker?’ _ He wonders as he sipped his coffee. Weirdly enough, Joker hasn’t responded yet so Akechi turned to look at her. She was staring directly at him. 

“I... suppose so?” He asked in a questioning tone.

Does she invite everyone to be in her clinical trial or was it just teenage males? Wait, does that mean that HE was the one who fainted from her clinical trial? Akechi’s eyes widen at the thought.  He tried to imagine Joker making a disgusted face as he stared at a weirdly colored concoction before bravely downs the drink quickly and gags from the horrible taste, to suddenly blacking out and waking up on the floor. Takemi watched over him as she passively as she took notes.

Akechi tried to held it together. He bit his cheek as he prevented himself from bursting into laughter. Akechi doesn’t want to look mentally unstable in front of these guys, but for the first time, he wants to ask Joker a question. He could be wrong and the person who fainted could be someone else, but he has to confirm this information! Besides, Joker should be happy that Akechi’s curious about him to ask questions. Granted, it for to laugh at him, but hey, he’s trying to get to know his new allies right? Got to give him kudos for that right?

“Mm. As interesting as this is, I need to get back to work. Thanks for the coffee Boss.” She eyed the both of them before placing her money on the counter.

“I’ll be in contact with you soon.” She nodded to him and left.

Joker immediately took her chair and sat down next to him while grinning at him. 

_ ‘How can I subtly move away from this boy while making it look natural and not because I can’t tolerate his presence? _ ’ Akechi asked himself as he took a sip of his coffee. He wonders if he should gulp down his drink like Takemi and leave as quickly as possible. But it was too good not to saviour every single drop. He doesn’t think he could ever drink the nasty instant coffee from work ever again. He has tried a few other places around his school and work and none of them could be compared to this. Maybe he could ask for the owner to make this cafe into a chain and have one built closer to his area.

‘ _ That would be wonderful.’ _ He sighed in pleasure.

“Oh, I never introduced myself have I. I’m Kurusu, Akira. Nice to meet you, detective.”

“Stop calling me detective. My name is Akechi, Goro.” He snapped back before his eyes widen a bit and he glanced to see how the barista would react. The older man seemed to mind his own business and sat down to read his newspaper.

Akechi looked at Kurusu with narrowed eyes. Why is he still here bothering him? Doesn’t he has a new target to ‘steal their heart’ from? Wow, even those words puts a grimace to his face. 

“So you did say that you would talk about your book when we meet up again. I’m free right now and am all ears.” Joker grinned as he rested his elbow on the table, his face in his hand.

‘ _ Yeah, I said because I didn’t think you would bother to remember it.’ _ He sighed resignedly. Akechi didn’t think they would meet up so soon. He was hoping that they would only meet up to collect bounties and that would be it. Of course, he shouldn’t have expected it. When has anything ever gone his way. Even though he didn’t meant it, if Kurusu remembers his words then Akechi will do it. No further excuses or delaying the inevitable. He tries to be a man of his word (unlike his father).

“The story is called Beyond the Boundary. The story takes place with an adventurer foolishly piloting a small airship for the first time on a small island. He manages to lose control of it during a horrible thunderstorm and the airship fell down, going beyond the clouds. 

It looked like he wasn’t going to survive since there were lightning flashing around him, but he did. He clung desperately to his ship until he managed to pass through the clouds...into another world. The world was called the Crimson Horizon.”

“Wow, what an suspenseful beginning.” Kurusu said. 

Akechi smiled. “Yes. I have read the author’s other stories, they were leaning more towards the historical side. This was his first fantasy novel and the pacing was very quick at the beginning.”

“So what happens next?” Kurusu said eagerly.

“Ha ha, well you should read to find out.”

“Aww spoil sport.”

Akechi lightly laughed at that. 

“Everything slows down after that because he’s learning about the new world. Everything was different from what he originally thought he knew, from the air he was breathing to the plants, animals, and ocean. I just finished the story recently and would recommend it if you do enjoy a slow plot, but detailed world building.”

“Yup, it sound right up my alley. Thank Akechi-san!”

Akechi-san. It sounds so weird coming from his mouth.

“You’re welcome.”

They basked in the silence together with only the television playing in the background until the barista made an abrupt sound.

“Hey kid, I need to make an errand. Be sure to lock up if I don’t come back.” The barista said as he stood up.

“You don’t need to leave. Closing time isn’t until another hour.” He said to Akechi before putting on his hat and left silently.

“May I ask for a refill please?” Akechi really likes this coffee and wants to see Kurusu serve him. The leader of the Phantom Thieves serving him. Ha. That has a nice ring to it.

“Sure.” He left his seat to put on an apron and walked to make Akechi’s order. He didn’t make any small talk while he was making the coffee. Akechi guessed that he needs a lot of concentration for the job or he’s still new at it. Well, it’s perfectly fine with him. 

He started to pull out his phone to check to see if he has any new messages. The television suddenly changed into breaking news, interrupting the peaceful show, making Akechi more aware of the tv now.

“More updating news about the latest scandal. Kaneshiro, Junya has revealed that he was the mastermind for the drug smuggling operation in Shibuya. Now that he has admitted guilt and has accepted all the punishment for this incident, all the students that were previously blackmailed to work under him are now free from his service and have no lingering debts with him anymore. 

We can now rest easier thanks to the Phantom Thieves and their diligent work on changing the heart of the crime lord. We never would have found the source behind everything if it weren’t for them.” 

Kurusu quietly placed a newly made coffee in front of Akechi as he was watching the news. He took his eyes off the screen to thank him. Kurusu gave a small smile as he started cleaning the counters.

Akechi sipped his coffee. It was good, but not as wonderful as the original barista.

He recalled the past few days and remembered that the Phantom Thieves sent a calling card to Kaneshiro.

Akechi gave a small smirk, it was fun watching Shido get upset that another income of his suddenly got a change of heart from the Phantom Thieves. Their popularity might have made indirectly causes Akechi’s to go down, but it’s worth it seeing how Shido was suffering alongside him.

Akechi had to put on a passive face and asked if he wanted him to take care of it and he said no surprisingly. Shido said he had someone in mind for the job and told Akechi to continue with his current job. Akechi politely smiled and accepted it without question, but he wonders who Shido has in mind. 

Well Shido will eventually tell him before anything happens so he just has to be patient.

He was curious about something though. 

How did the Phantom Thieves find out about Kaneshiro? He hid himself in the shadows very well, leaving his henchmen to do all the dirty work as he sits on his fat ass and drinks alcohol while make disgusting faces at the various women in his clubs. 

Ugh, well he won’t miss that smug little man. Watching him cry on screen really made Akechi’s day. 

When he used to have to deal with him and watched him harassed and mistreated his employees, Akechi was horribly reminded that his mother was also treated in the same way. He wanted to rip Kaneshiro’s face when he saw him slapped one of the women and increased her debt just because she paid late.

But no, Akechi had to smile and pretend that he didn’t see anything as he sat there.

Akechi really wanted to ask Kurusu the details, but he doesn’t want to break the barrier the anonymity of how the Phantom Thieves operates. He also doesn’t want Kurusu to think he was interested in joining. He might blow up with more questions on his phone asking on when Akechi would join if he shows any remote interest in them.

Akechi’s stomach suddenly decided to make an appearance. It grumbled so loudly, he feared that people walking outside the restaurant might have heard it. He saw Kurusu tilted his head at him and felt his ears turned red as he quickly drank the rest of his coffee and paid for his coffee. He might have put more bills down since he was in a rush to leave. 

“Keep the change.” He muttered as he stood up from his chair and was ready to walk out.

“Wait Akechi-san!” 

He was tempted not to turn, heck, he wants to run away and not look back. Somehow, he keeps having these embarrassing moments with this guy.

“Yes?” He turned just enough to see Kurusu in the corner of his eyes.

“If you’re hungry, I could make you something to eat. The specialty of this cafe is curry.”

“Sorry, perhaps next time. I already have food at home that should be expiring soon.” He said politely, which was a somewhat true. There were leftovers that were a few days old now. 

“Oh, okay. I’ll hold you to that.” Kurusu gave that smile again. 

“Goodnight Akechi-san.”

“Goodnight.”

As he left the cafe, he received a text message notification. Akechi walked towards the train station as he pulled out his phone, wondering who could it be.

**Joker:**

**Let’s go bounty hunting this weekend. :)**

**Finally.**

He felt his heart racing, what kind of creature will they be hunting down? Another high level Shadow? Primals?

As he continued walking, he remembered that he didn’t ask Kurusu about the details of his relationship with Doctor Takemi. 

Dang, next time he promised to himself as he grinned, thinking about their future meeting.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know there’s an anime called Beyond the Boundary. It’s a cool name and I’m lazy to make up a title haha. Short chapter, but I wanted to release something before the holidays. I also need to think about what quest they should do. A short quest or a story event arc from granblue… So difficult.


	12. Chapter 11

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Crow meets the other Phantom Thieves and see how well they fight together

It was kind of sad how animated he was for the past few days as he was waiting for the weekend to arrive.

While he has hunted down monsters by himself and also with Quatre before, he’s never fought against anything big as Ca Ong. He would never say it out loud, but he was grateful that the Phantom Thieves were there and had his back for that one. He doubted he could have taken it down as quickly or easily as he did... not that he would tell Joker that. That guy was so confident he could be considered cocky...no, why is Akechi trying to downplay that guy’s bad traits? He’s just cocky. Period. There was no need to be nice about it.

He wonders how if there are any other Phantom Thief members that he hasn’t met yet that are normal, rational people. So far, Mona behaves as the most normal in the group even his appearance was a bit different. He was still curious on what kind of creature Mona was. Akechi knows that there are some small unknown races that aren’t the typical: human, erune, draph, or harvin, but he has never read in a book of a cat-like creature that could walk and talk like a Skydweller. He should definitely bring it up this time around.

Skull wasn’t weird or anything, just very touchy. Akechi wasn’t use to someone casually touching him so much that he always tenses up even when someone was in his personal space. Fox was...yeah, he was weird. There was no way around it. His personality seems to be hyper focused on art. Now that Akechi has a good idea on his true identity, he understands a bit more on why Fox kept looking at his surroundings through his hands as he was viewing at everything around him after the battle of Ca Ong.

He wonders what other types of elements the rest of the Phantom Thieves have. It was interesting to know that even though Skull and Akechi both have light elements, the side effect of their attacks were different from each other. Skull’s magic also provides him a chance to paralyze his opponents while Akechi’s light and dark magic has a good chance of causing instant death to them. It seems that the rate of the side effect working for Akechi was dependent on how big the creature was, which was why Akechi didn’t bother relying on it while he was battling Ca Ong. It might either have taken forever and Akechi would have ran out of magic or the creature might have been immune to the ailment. He rather not rely on chance with a creature like that.

He stood outside of Tokyo, standing next to the freeway as the sun was slowly setting, already dressed with his Robin Hood outfit while waiting for the Phantom Thieves to arrive. Joker didn’t say much other than the time and location they were meeting. Since there was no details about the bounty they were doing, he ate a light dinner before coming here since he wasn’t sure what time they will be done with the quest.

As he stared at the colorful sky, he was reminded of his mother’s words. She told him that one day when she’s not here anymore, she will still continue to watch over him from beyond the skies. He wonders if she was watching him that she was proud of him and the person he became. If she would be grateful that Akechi is planning on making Shido suffer like they did.

As he stared at the beautiful color show spreading across the horizon, a voice called out to him, “Hey, Crow!”

He snapped out of it and saw a group of people walking towards them. Skull waving enthusiastically while Joker gave a small wave before putting his hand back into his pockets.

He saw that they have 2 new members, along with Fox and Mona, and waited until they were closer to greet them properly.

“Good evening.” He said politely.

“This is everyone. You never had the chance to meet Queen and Panther. Queen was the one dressed in a biker’s outfit and has a no-nonsense attitude. While Panther is probably into BDSM with the skin-tight red latex catsuit. The whip doesn’t help with the image.” Joker said while smiling. He got smacked by Panther. “Ow, why is everyone so abusive towards their leader?”

Skull snickered at the display while Mona groaned. Fox just watched curiously as Joker rubbed his injury and Panther slowly walking towards him like a cat stalking its prey.

“It’s because that was a horrible way of introducing someone for the first time!” Panther yelled at him.

“We always need humor in our lives! It’s just innocent fun!” Joker said while inching away from her.

“We never met because you didn’t bother calling us for help. It wasn’t fun to know that half the team went on their own mission without telling us first.” Queen glared at Fox, Mona, Skull, and Joker as she said this. Fox seems to be oblivious to the glare while Mona and Skull both immediately pointed to Joker.

“It was his idea.” They said at the same time.

“It was a last minute decision.” Joker said weakly as he held his hands out in defense. “I didn’t want to make you guys travel to another island within a day and everyone else was already here.”

“I know that we agreed that it had to be a group unanimous vote for the Phantom Thieves’ next target and bounties aren’t a part of that agreement, but a notification would have been nice.” She stated coldly.

“Okay, I get it. Next time, I’ll let you guys know if anything like this happens again.” Joker smiled, trying to dissipate her anger.

Panther just smiled brightly at the situation before turning to Crow.

“Hello! Everyone has told me so much about you!” She held her hand out for a handshake.

‘ _So much? I only met everyone once other than Joker.’_ Crow smiled and grasped her hand. “It’s nice to meet you. I hope we can get along.”

She seems cheerful though. Maybe it’s just being around Joker can cause a sudden rush of irritation. He can sympathize with her if that’s the issue.

He also gave Queen a firm handshake before Joker spoke. Wow, she has a strong grip.

“Now that everyone has met each other. I’ll tell everyone about our mission.” His tone suddenly changed. Everyone stood up straight and listened attentively to Joker’s next words.

“Recently about a few times a week for the past month, there has been a Shadow that has been rampaging on the freeway from Tokyo to Inaba. It has attacked a few people who travels on this freeway at night time while riding on it’s bike. There has been some injuries, but no deaths has been reported as of yet. We are planning on stopping it before the attacks escalate.”

“On a bike? Then only Queen could chase it down if it plans on running away.” Skull moaned.

“I’ve rented a van for this reason, we might need someone to be on top of the van just to cast wide area spells to stop the Shadow. Let’s split up and Queen will go ahead first to scout the area. Queen, pick someone to ride with you. We need to be careful with this one.” He said as he looked at her.

“Roger. I’ll go with Mona then. He’s the smallest so I’ll have an easier time maneuvering my bike with him compared to anyone else.”

“Mona. You good with that?” Joker asked.

“Sure. I’ll see you soon Panther!” He said with affection before hopping towards Queen.

“Where is the car leader? You didn’t drive it when we all met up together.” Fox questioned.

“I wanted it to be a surprise. The reactions were pretty...lackluster if I’m being honest.” He frowned as he walked them towards the grey car a few meters away. Akechi originally thought it was an abandoned car because it was sitting out here before he even came. Well that question was solved now.

“When did you get a driver’s license Joker?” Panther asked.

“About a week ago. I have been practicing my driving skills in the Metaverse after all.” He smirked as he made the motion of turning the wheel with his hands.

‘ _Metaverse?’_

“Please don’t tell me you drove like that when you were doing the behind-the-wheel portion of the exam. You would really freak out the examiner with your driving skills. You accelerate too quickly and break too harshly. Oh man, I feel a headache coming on just thinking about it.” Skull moaned at the thought of it.

“Haha, no. Only with you guys.” He winked.

“Yeah, your winking looks weird. Got to stop that crap, right Crow?” Skull nudged Crow while grinning.

“Definitely.” He said with a serious look. To be honest, it looks fine, but it’s too fun to not mess with him.

Joker frowned and muttered. “Let’s just get in the car.”

Everyone shuffled into the car and Joker started it up and turned on the headlights. Skull choose to sat in the passenger seat leaving Panther and Fox to sit right next to Crow.

“It’s so weird to be in a car that doesn’t make a nya sound.” Panther commented.

“Nya?” Crow asked. Does Panther only ride in kids’ cars or something?

“Yeah, Mona can—” She started saying excitedly before Joker cut her off.

“Panther, shush. Crow, it’s a Phantom Thieves secret. You will know when you finally join us.” Joker said as he smirked and winked in the mirror.

“Can you please stop that? At least practice the motion a few times before you try it on someone.” Crow said half-smiling, half-grimacing.

“It looks fine! Don’t tease him you guys!” Panther defended Joker.

Joker pouted and drove in silence, not even Panther’s words could help him leave from his depressive state.

‘ _This is too easy_.’ Crow thought as he mentally crackled as he pat himself in the back.

“So, do you go to school? Where do you go? What are your hobbies? How did you meet Joker? Oh, I have so many questions for you!” She shot rapidly at him.

“Uh...I do, but I’ll keep the name of the school a secret for now. Hobbies… I like reading, trying out new food, biking, and bouldering.” He provides the typical answers that he usually gives out during interviews.

“Ooh! We should out new restaurants together then! Skull’s totally boring, he only eats ramen. All day it’s ramen!” She complained loudly while playing with the ends of her pigtails.

“Hey I also eat beef bowls!” He countered back.

She ignored him and proceeded, “Queen is always busy, Mona is a cat, and Fox spends most of his money on art supplies. Joker goes with me sometimes, but I want to try a lot more places.”

“So could you?” She pouted cutely.

“Ha ha. I’m actually kind of shy. Let’s get to know each other more first before making plans to meet outside of bounty hunting.” He said. Why do these people want to know more about him? Isn’t meeting up for to hunt monsters and Shadows good enough?

“Okay! I’ll hold you to that then!” She grinned ear to ear.

“I feel so special being the only person in the Phantom Thieves to know what you look like without the mask.” Joker said as he wiped a fake tear.

“You do?” Panther said excitedly. “How did you find out?”

“By love.”

Panther put her hand on her mouth as she gave a shriek.

“...what?” Crow said with a monotonous voice.

“I just felt this energy surrounding us when I first saw him and had an urge to go up to talk to him!”

“And? And?” Panther asked as she bounced excitedly in her seat.

Fox looked interested in their conversation.

“How would you describe this energy Joker? This sounds quite fascinating!” He pulled out a sketchbook and started drawing.

What the heck could he possibly be drawing from this story?

“It was like a soft blue glowing light of a tarot card was floating above his head, beaming it’s gentle light and guiding me towards him through the busy crowd.” Joker stated.

“...didn’t we met in front of a coffee bean place?”

“You’re ruining the story! I’m talking about the second time we’ve met.” Joker complained.

“...we’ve met outside a cafe. There was no crowd that you’re talking about at the time.”

“Where’s your romance for these things? Fox, Panther! This is how it happened!” He started talking about fate and some bullshit like that while Fox and Panther listened rather intently. Crow and Skull remained silent in the background as Crow rolled his eyes as the story continued. Wow, his tale was full of exaggerations and lies. He tried to distract himself by talking to Skull who was also half-listening.

“Skull.” Crow said hesitantly. “Is he always like this?”

“Pretty much. It does liven things up when things are slow, like right now.”

Crow does admit that his story was amusing, but it would have been better if it wasn’t related to him though.

Suddenly a ringtone played breaking Joker’s momentum. Skull picked it up and put it on speakerphone.

“Yo.”

“This is Mona, we see someone ahead of us. It looks like their bike wheels are on fire. I think it’s the Shadow! Be ready guys! We’re going to try to cut off it’s path!”

“Okay Mona! Everyone you heard him, get your weapons ready! It’s go time. Who has the best accuracy with their guns? Let’s try to attack the Shadow so Queen will have an easier time moving ahead of it while it’s distracted by our minivan.”

“Nah man, not me. I still miss about half the time.” Skull said.

“I could try. With my machine gun, one of my bullets will bound to hit it.” Panther said sheepishly.

“If you guys don’t mind, I would like to try. I think I’m a decent shot.” Crow raised his hand as he let out a small smile, mentally cringing and asking how bad the Phantom Thieves shots really are. He is somewhat curious to not say anything and let them handle it, but he also wants to show them how capable he was.

“Okay, do the honors Crow.” Joker said. “I got this minivan because it has a sunroof, that way you don’t have to climb out the window to reach the roof.”

“....thanks.” If it didn’t have a sunroof, Akechi was going to make one. There was no way he was going to be climbing to the roof through the bloody window!

He opened the roof and peered out in front. The wind was quickly blowing in his face, drying his eyes as he was trying focus. He wondered how Queen and Mona eyes were fairing since they were on a motorcycle, driving for about half an hour at a high speed.

By standing on top of the seat, he was able to get a good view of everything and his arms were at the same level as the roof that there was no need to climb on top of the car. If he actually bothered to climb onto the top, there wasn’t even roof racks or bars where Crow could have a good grip and not accidentally fall off the roof if Joker makes a harsh brake!

Crow pulled out his gun and was awaiting for the Shadow to appear before him. He could hear the distant sounds of a fight and readied his gun. He carefully aimed at the Shadow as it maneuver it’s bike quickly from side to side to avoid Mona’s attacks. He shot it various times and it barely seemed to do any damage.

Crow glared and hoped that his next plan will work. He closed his eyes and focused his magic on the gun and bullets.

It gave a faint flow as he opened his eyes and immediately took shot of the Shadow once more, finally making the Shadow lose control of his bike briefly. He smiled as he watched Queen and Mona quickly accelerated and disappeared from sight.

He saw the Shadow slowed down significantly and pulled out a gun. Oh shit. Crow shot it once. Twice. Three times. Then his gun went clack. Shit, he’s out of bullets.

“Crow, get back in here! We’re going to stop the car and fight it! We can’t damage this van! I don’t have enough money to repair it!” Joker yelled in despair.

“You should have thought of that before buying it!” Skull yelled in the background.

“You didn’t get insurance on it?” Crow asked as he climbed back in and sat in his seat..

“I did, but they might think I might be part of the mafia or something with all the bullet and burnt marks!” Joker said as he proceeded to brake hard.

Crow was flung to the back of Joker’s seat. Luckily he wasn’t facing forward or his mask might have poked a hole through the seat and ram itself deeply into his face, leaving a weird bruise on his face. He would not know how to explain that to his co-workers and classmates.

They waited for the van to completely stop before leaping out of the car and preparing their weapons against the Shadow.

“ _How dare you_!” It shriek as it casted a fire spell.

Everyone managed to dodge in time and Joker ran up to kick it off it’s bike.

‘ _Wow. Not bad._ ’ Crow thought, mildly impressed by the action.

“Fox!” Joker barked out.

“Persona! Bufula!” His Persona appeared by his side, took a strong stomp with it’s Tengu-Geta and ice immediately appeared around the Shadow and collided into it.

It’s aura felt more intense after the attack.

“It didn’t do as much damage as I thought.” Fox hummed as he ready his stance.

“ _If you want to challenge me, then you have to fight my whole crew also!_ ” The Shadow cried out. Two Shadows appeared right after it finished those words.

‘ _A Shadow that is able to summon more Shadows. That’s rare._ ’ Crow thought in astonishment. He heard about this, but has never encountered an enemy that actually did it.

The two Shadows who appeared looked identical from each other. He thought Shadows can’t look exactly the same because everyone was different. He theorized it must be because they weren’t real Shadows, but this Shadow’s perception of his allies.

The two Shadows looked like a weird green ginger with hands and feet and wide white eyes. It was holding a red boomerang and had a white cloth hiding it’s private parts.

“ _Yes sir!_ ”

“I’ll take care of one of those roots whatever!” Skull yelled out. He rushed with his bat and the Shadow moved backwards while casting some sort of spell on Skull. When Skull swung his weapon, he missed by a long shot. With the force of his swing, he also managed to fall to the ground from the attack. Crow mentally sweatdrops.

“Skull!” Panther shouted in shock as she rush to help him.

 _‘How... how bad is his accuracy?’_ Crow thought. ‘ _I swear he wasn’t this bad when we were fighting Ca Ong...well Ca Ong was monstrously huge, it would be impossible to miss that creature.’_

The other green Shadow hit Panther with it’s boomerang while she was busy healing Skull. She held her head with one hand, then looked at Crow and pointed at him, weapon on hand.

Shittt. She must be confused from that attack. He narrowly dodged her whip. Her attack was so quick, he could barely react in time. He frowned as he tried to think on what to do next. He felt like an asshole if he attacked her, but he doesn’t have any items on hand to deal with ailments.

 _‘Time to stock up on those too._ ’ He thought as he narrowly dodged her next attack.

‘ _Oh my god, this is a mess.’_

He glanced at Joker to see that he was busy fighting one-on-one with the biker Shadow.

“ **Goemon**. Cast Sukukaja.”

Crow felt his speed increased and thanked Fox.

“I’ll take care of Panther, please focus on getting rid of the Shadows.” Fox said as he fished inside his pockets for something.

“ **Robin Hood**. Use Hamaon.” He commanded. The spell took out one of the Shadows and Skull quickly destroyed the other one with his bat.

“Yes! Finally kicked some ass.” He grinned as he rested his weapon against his shoulder. Looked like Panther successfully healed him before she went down.

“ _How could you get rid of my buddies! I’ll destroy you! All of you! And then Tatsumi, Kanji is next! He going to pay for what he did!”_ The Shadow cried out as fire surrounded it.

“Crow, use your magic! Don’t try to kill it though.” Joker yelled as he backed away from the biker.

Crow blinked in confusion before nodding along. “Okay. Now, **Robin**!”

 **Robin Hood** casted Kouga and the enemy fell.

Skull, Joker, Fox, and the recently recovered Panther went up close to the Shadow with their guns pointing at it.

_‘What were they waiting for?‘_

Crow walked up confused, but also pulled out his gun. He was out of bullets, but maybe the Shadow won’t notice that tiny little fact?

“ _All I wanted...was to get revenge on the person who killed me and my crew. We didn’t deserve to die. We didn’t do anything wrong! We just laughed, played around, and ride our bikes at night. We never attacked anyone or anything.”_

“That doesn’t make what you’re doing now justifiable.” Joker said.

Crow felt a bit uncomfortable with this talk. It was kind of hitting close to home. Can they hurry and destroy the Shadow already?

‘ _I need to get into Inaba. I need to get to Tatsumi, Kanji. He destroyed our bike gang, I have no doubt that he was the one who killed us later on when we were caught off-guard.’_

“Join me then.”

‘ _What?’_

“We won’t kill anyone, but we will find the person who killed you and your crew. No one else will have to suffer from this person’s hands.”

‘ _If you’re not going to kill them, then what? Going to beat them up and toss them to the police? Ha! This happened months ago. All the evidence would have been long gone by now. The cops can’t do shit now.’_ It gave a mocking laugh.

“With our power, we can make the person have a change of heart and make them regret their decisions. They will confess to their crimes and turn themselves in. We will not require any physical evidence when the criminal will incriminate himself. Will this be enough to satisfy you, Shadow?”

‘ _That does sound interesting...fine, I’ll join you. My name is Hell Biker. Let’s make this guy pay.’_ The Shadow transformed into a Domino mask, the same one as Joker and disappeared into his mask.

What...what just happened?

Crow looked at everyone, waiting for an explanation as they were putting their guns away.

Panther pulled out her cellphone.

“Hey, everything’s fine. Joker managed to negotiate with the Shadow and it’s on our side now. You guys can come back now.” She said calmly.

“Er, can we back up for a second. What was that?” Crow finally asked, impatient for the answer. Did this guy managed to capture a Shadow? What does this mean? Can he control it now? Could Crow do it too? Is this a Persona-wielder thing or a Joker thing?

“If we are lucky and take down a Shadow. Sometimes, there’s a chance we can negotiate with it and convince it to join our side as a Persona.” Joker smiled.

He did use 2 different Personas when they met.

“So how many Personas do you have then and how many can you hold? Can anyone do this?” Crow asked, feeling a bit nervous.

 _‘This guy could basically be a one man army if he collected all 6 elements. He could just need to change Personas based on what sort of creature he encounters. He would have no need for teammates. Why does he have teammates then?’_ Akechi wonders.

“Around 10, anymore and I get a headache and can lose consciousness. Mona said that only I could, that he sensed ‘a different vibe’ from me.” He shrugs.

“I see.” ‘ _Holy shit, that’s a lot.’_ He feels a bit pathetic with his only 2 Personas.

‘ _It doesn’t matter the amount he has if he doesn’t fully understand their powers. They aren’t his real Personas after all.’_ **Loki** said.

Crow nodded at Loki’s words. That’s true. It made him feel a bit better hearing that. Hmm, is that why when Joker uses different Personas, his outfit didn’t change? These Personas aren’t technically his, but just temporary allies.

“Wait, why didn’t you bother doing this with Ca Ong then?” He demanded. After Skull electrified it, they could have just done this instead. While it was paralyzed, it took a lot of strength and magic from all of them to destroy it.

“I think the older the Shadow is, the more memories it loses along the way. When we fought with it, it never even spoke remember? It was only reacting on instinct by then. Can’t really negotiate with something that can’t speak.” Joker shrugged.

“I see.”

“Now that I reveal something about myself, you need to talk more about yourself too.”

“I talked about my hobbies in the car…” Crow weakly defended himself.

“That while was very interesting, I’m going to keep a note of all that by the way, I’m curious about your Persona’s origin. Why or when was it created?” He asked with a curious look.

Crow looked down to his hands, he doesn’t trust them enough to talk about it. However, Robin Hood’s background wasn’t a dark reveal compared to Loki’s. He doesn’t think talking about revenge against his father and wanting to ruin his life forever to his temporary allies would sound like a good idea.

“Then you have to tell me all of your’s.”

“Sure. I don’t mind. Do you guys?” Joker looked at Panther, Skull, and Fox.

“Nope.” Panther and Skull gave an easy smile, while Fox nodded.

It was that easy? Are they that trusting or were the circumstances revolving when their Personas awakened resolved now?

“I think it’s been around a year now since Robin Hood was born.” He started. “I…saw someone getting attacked by a monster and felt so useless about the situation during the time when Robin Hood suddenly called out to me. He asked if being a detective and talking about serving justice was all just for show or if I’m willing to act upon my values. I replied that I wanted to help her. I won’t let another person suffer as long as I’m alive and can do something about it.”

He didn’t mean to blurt out so much personal information about himself, but everything started flowing out. He mentioned that he was a detective… and the last sentence was completely unnecessary. He hoped they won’t press more for details.

“And then he came to me.” He finished quickly.

“Wow that’s sounds just like me and Joker when we met our Personas.” Skull exclaimed.

“Hm?”

“Yeah! We were trapped in a dungeon inside a castle! The guards were going to kill me and Joker summoned his Persona.”

“...dungeon?”

“Yeah! In Kamoshida’s Palace!”

“Skull, what did I tell you about this?”

“Oops, got carried away there leader.” Skull laughed as he scratched his head.

“O...kay.” Crow said slowly. There are plenty of castles and dungeons on other islands, but he mentioned the name Kamoshida. He was the coach from Shujin who was the first person to received a calling card and his heart ‘stolen’ by the Phantom Thieves. How would he have enough money to own a castle. He wasn’t royalty or anything if Akechi remembered correctly.

“But yeah, Skull’s right. My Persona, Arsene, asked me if I was going to run while Skull was getting executed, that if my choice of saving a woman awhile back a mistake even when it got me into trouble afterwards. I don’t regret it back then and I don’t regret it now.” He said proudly.

“Captain Kid came when Mona and Joker were being manhandled by some guards! Kamoshida was taunting me and calling me useless. Those words did affect me, but I couldn’t watch them die because I was the one who asked Joker to visit the castle. Captain Kid reminded me that I might not have the popular and cool status anymore, but there were still people who were willing to stand by my side. Heh, everyday is new and interesting thanks to these guys, even when we aren’t doing Phantom Thieves shit.” Skull rubbed his nose as he looked at his teammates.

“You were never cool Skull.” Panther joked.

“Hey!”

“I was captured and tied up by Kamoshida and a cognitive—”

 _‘Cognitive?’_ Akechi questions. Boy, does he have a lot of questions.

“—version of me was standing beside him. It was acting all gross and kissing ass. It was so disgusting. Kamoshida told me what happened to my best friend and why—” Panther hesitated but giving a deep breath and pushing on. “...why she tried to kill herself. When I found out, I knew that I couldn’t forgive him and wanted him to repent for his actions.”

“Panther...you told him more about the Metaverse” Joker sighed.

“What? How else can I explain it?” She cried out.

“Maybe all the mystery will convince Crow to join us.” He peeked at Crow’s face, trying to gauge his reaction to the stories. He shook his head, but his curiosity only rose at each story.

Akechi has never fell so out of the loop before. If only he didn’t have a revenge plan against Shido, he might have taken the offer to join the Phantom Thieves. He was so curious on all these terms, but he can’t. Not yet anyways. Maybe after Shido.

“Madarame lied to me about many things while trying to act like a care fatherly figure to me. When he admitted to the rumors that were spread by his old pupils were true, **Goemon** scolded me for trying to avoid the truth and told me to follow my own sense of right and wrong. It was an inspiring moment... that I still haven’t draw out yet... which reminds me.” Fox pulled out his artbook and started sketching once again. He really loves art.

“Well Queen and Mona can talk about theirs when they come back. I am curious about Mona’s awakening though. When we met him, he already had his Persona already.”

“You didn’t bother asking about it?”

“Well, he said that he lost his memories and was with us to find them so I never asked about it. He knows some basic details about himself though, maybe he might remember about his Persona.”

“He’s also a Primal.” Joker stage whispered to Crow.

“A...Primal?!” Crow said in surprise.

He heard the roaring of a motorcycle and turned to watch them arrive.

‘ _A Primal…?’_ He thought as he watched in awe as Mona hopped out of the seat and came running towards them.

“Panntherr! I’ve missed you! Tell me what happened while I was gone!” It cried out as it looked up to her with sparkles in its eyes.

‘ _Really? A Primal?’_ He thought, his feelings of awe rapidly fading as he watched them interact.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Apparently other ideas popped into my head and I had to get them out before I could return to this story. Thankfully as I was writing them, I also had this idea too so everything worked out!
> 
> The 2 Shadows the Hell Biker summoned was Mokoi.
> 
> Metaverse introduced! And Akechi doesn’t know about it?! Dun dun dun!
> 
> The reason why Queen kept driving to Inaba instead of just standing close to the fight was because they figured out that the Shadow was trying to get to Inaba. When people die, their Shadows always appear in the spot that they died at. Hell Biker takes awhile to appear and gathers strength to go to Inaba and along the way, he always attacks anyone and anything he encounters: animals, people, monsters and other Shadows. 
> 
> Yay, got a chapter out before GW and my convention! We still need people btw if you want to apply.


	13. Chapter 12

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Everyone gets to know more about Crow and Akechi gets a new assignment from Shido.

Astrals were beings that came from beyond the stars one day and wanted to rule over the skies. They declared war on the Skydwellers and attacked without warning. All of the Skydwellers: erune, human, harvin, and draph saw how dangerous the Astrals were, put aside their differences, and banded together to get rid of the threat to protect their homes. It was a hellish time period as the war raged on for centuries.

A Primal was originally created by the Astrals during the War to fight against the Skydwellers. While the Astrals were eventually defeated and disappeared after the War, the Primals remained here without a purpose. Most of them turned into primal crystals and went to sleep while there were others that continued to roam around and wreak havoc. Those creatures were hunted down and destroyed even till this very day. 

There were legends that said that, originally, a Primal was a strong entity of the skies that was altered by the Astrals into beasts of a higher order. That is the reason why people began worshipping them and building statues and buildings dedicated to them. They started off as natural beings with great control over the powerful elements of the world itself and some of the people have never forgotten about their origins.

Ca Ong was originally confused for a Primal when it first appeared. A huge creature that could control water and even create hurricanes and floods, of course it would bound to confuse people. However it was quickly discovered as a Shadow when someone saw the wisps of darkness that clung to it’s tails and fins.

That was why, Akechi was initially excited to find out that there was a Primal so close to him. A non-aggressive Primal that maybe he could learn more about the old times and have more insight about the legendary War. He wanted to know, how were the Skydwellers able to defeat such a powerful enemy?

But looking at how... derpy Mona was acting, he was more confused now. 

‘ _ This is a Primal? _ ’ He thought as he looked at Mona swoon over Panther. It doesn’t feel flirty or sexual in his behavior, but more like a simple crush of a child.

Crow’s not judging him by his size, but his personality seems too childish and cute. Not exactly how he would imagine coming from a weapon of mass destruction. He wasn’t sure what he thought a Primal would behave honestly. Perhaps emotionless? 

When they first met, Mona seemed quick to anger, but he was very knowledgeable about certain topics so it’s not like he’s an naive creature. Akechi supposed that maybe he had the wrong image of a Primal. Since they were natural beings before the Astrals reformed them, they must still have retained some of their original personality. He shook his head and looked at Joker, a question on his lips since the battle.

“So what will you do with Hell Biker? Are you going to Inaba to look for his killer?” Crow asked as they all got back into the van, even Mona and Queen. Queen briefly talked about the first time she summoned her Persona, however, Mona remained quiet so Crow didn’t push it any further at the moment.

“Yup, you don’t have to join since there’s no bounty for this. We’re just going to be investigating into the matter. This is just a Phantom Thieve issue. Don’t worry about it.” Joker smiles innocently as he sat in the same row as Crow with Panther sitting between them. Queen took care of driving them back into town.

“Ah…” Ugh, he’s really curious and wants to see this through. Akechi could somewhat relate to this Shadow...Persona..? and how he wants to get revenge from someone who destroyed his life. He also wants to know more about the ‘Metaverse’ and whatever they were talking about earlier with cognition, castles, and Palaces. He hates being out of the loop of things, that’s why he tries so hard to know as much as he could about the latest popular thing, politics, etc. This is all so he could have an easy time to pick a topic to talk to people about and at the same time, not feeling inferior for being ignorant.

Dang, Joker’s good. He managed to sink his claws into Akechi’s detective side and pull out his love for mysteries.

A detective teaming up with his rivals to get justice for someone. This feels like something that would belong in a comic book.

“I…” He licked his lips. He didn’t notice Joker watching him intensely as he did that action.

“Could I just join temporary for that?” He asked.

“Hmm…” Joker tilted his head as he put a hand to his chin. 

“No.” He said as he smiled innocently.

“Joker!” Panther slapped him again. “Don’t be mean to him.”

“Ow! He did it to me before!” He whined.

“Testing the waters eh?” Skull grinned as he turned around to face them.

“...something like that.” 

“We would love for you to join us!” Panther said excitedly.

Crow gave a relieved smile at her, ignoring Joker who was sitting right beside her with a smirk.

“So does that mean we can know each other identities?!” She clapped her hands together in joy, her smile was so wide, it went ear to ear.

Oh. She’s not over that, eh? His smile twitched as he was pushing down the temptation to break open the window and leap out of it.

“I admit, I am curious too. I need references to draw out this particular scene in my head right now. Normally, I wouldn’t mind shrouding pictures in mystery, but this piece will focus more on topic of sweet adoration.” Fox admitted from behind him.

What.

“Can I see it after you’re done Fox?” Joker asked.

“Of course! I would love for Joker and Crow to by my models for this next piece.”

“That’s interesting. We’re in.”

Hey, hey don’t answer for me you little shit. 

His leg started to shake a little in stress before he managed to put a stop to it. It was bad to show his nervous habits to strangers. It was so strange to be going at their pace that he became comfortable and forgot something important; he’s not a part of the team and he wasn’t sure he wants to be.

He saw that Queen glanced up curiously in the rearview mirror to see his reaction.

“I—I suppose. Please keep my identity under wraps. I am somewhat well known.” Crow tensed up as he said this. This was all for his benefit. He wants to gain experience fighting with and without his Persona. A small part of him asked if they were going to judge him. A celebrity who looks like he’s living the dream is unsatisfied with his life that a Persona was created. Would he look like a spoiled brat if he has one and reveals his identity to them? Quatre didn’t seem to care though. Well, if he’s completely honest, Quatre only cares about getting stronger and protecting his family. He’s not up-to-date with the current trends and popular stars in Tokyo.

He has never revealed so much of himself to anyone before. Quatre figured it out himself, but now, he’s volunteering to show his true self to strangers. It was pretty nerve racking he must—

“Nya! You’re so slow that you’re just making my curiosity grow!” Mona jumped from the last row and hugged the back of Crow’s seat, peering at him with his big eager blue eyes. 

“Seatbelt Mona!” Queen barked.

“Ack! Sorry Queen.” He apologizes, ears pointed down in shame as he returned to his seat. God, he wanted to pet him. He blames the ears.

“Seems like Crow is feeling shy! Maybe we should all show our identities at the same time. Peer pressure and all that good stuff.” Joker gave a wicked smile. If Panther wasn’t sitting between them, he would’ve kicked him in the leg for bringing up that idea, but that wasn’t actually a half-bad idea.

He turned to face the window, watching his reflection for a bit before mentally nodding to Robin Hood and releasing his hold on his Persona. He felt his mask’s weight disappeared from his face as his outfit faded into a white short sleeve dress shirt and long black pants and mustered the courage to opened his eyes and turned to face the group.

Panther had more unique features compared to the other humans in Japan. Her bright blue eyes and soft blonde hair compliments her face and beauty. Joker’s grey eyes and small smile made Akechi feel uncomfortable that he tried to focus his attention to Queen and Skull before something distracted him.

A black blob suddenly went over his seat and landed on his legs, catching him off guard for a second. It turned out to be a black tuxedo cat. It stared at him with its bright blue eyes. Akechi was surprised he hasn’t heard or seen it before when they were in the car. Just as he was about to reach out to pet it, Queen yelled out once more, “Mona!”

“I’m just a cat! I don’t need seatbelts!” Mona cried out in a mischievous voice.

“What the—?!” Akechi pushed the cat off of his lap. 

“D—Did that cat just talk?!” He cried out while pointing at the fallen cat.

“Please tell me someone else heard it too.” He looked up at the others to see them smiling or chuckling at his reaction.

“Why are you laughing?” He frowned.

“Hey punk! What was that all about!” The creature cried out as it glared up at him. It looked like it was ready to scratch his eyes out. He held his hands out, ready to defend himself. His gloves should be able to absorb any potential damage from the cat.

Akechi looked cautiously at the talking cat. IT’S A TALKING CAT! Why is everyone else acting so calm about this?! They do hear it right? It’s not his imagination right? He hasn’t gotten a lot of sleep lately, trying to catch up on all of his work, that he prays his mind isn’t playing tricks on him. What's next? A talking butterfly? He shudders at the thought. 

“That’s Mona’s regular form and wow, that reaction was awesome! Even I didn’t freak out that badly!” Skull cried as he laughed his heart out.

“Ah…sorry. You just surprised me, that’s all.” He said as he tried to calm down his heart.

Mona glared at him before climbing back onto the seat between him and Panther to look more closely at him. His tail was whipping back and forth. He does not look pleased. Should Akechi pet him to calm him down? 

He does.

“Oi! Hands off! Only Panther gets to touch this wonderful fur.”  He dodged the hand and climbed into Panther’s lap and looked at her for pets.

He is so confused. So can he use his powers in this form? That would be horrifying, wind attacks coming from a cat. Akechi pushes that thought from his mind.

He looked at the Panther and Joker for answers. Panther just smiled, shrugged, and scratched Mona behind the ears while Joker just grinned and mouthed ‘primal’. 

That doesn’t explain anything!

“Don't mind him Akechi-kun. Morgana isn't proud of his cat form.” said Quee— wait.

“Niijima-san?” The name quietly escaped his lips.

“Yes. It's nice to see you again.”

Akechi always thought she was weak and a pushover. After seeing her today, his opinion changed. He didn’t see how she fought since she drove ahead the whole time and Mona was fighting in her stead but her attitude was a complete opposite from how he knew of her. Even now, her eyes looks fierce. 

“Woah, you guys already know each other?” Skull said as he turned his head to look from Akechi to her.

“Yes, we go to the same cram school.” Niijima said.

“Oh…” Akechi could see Skull's interest died out by that answer.

“Ignore that rude blonde guy over there.” “You're blond too!” Panther skillfully ignored him as she continued. “My name is Takamaki, Ann! You're Akechi, Goro, the second detective prince, right? It's nice to meet you, well, it's nice to know your name.” She corrected herself.

Akechi winced at the title. He was nothing compared to Shirogane, Naoto. Even though he felt like he didn’t deserve the title, he couldn’t help but to feel a sick pleasure from the words of praise from the public. He must be a horrible person to enjoy this.

He gave a fragile smile as he nodded, confirming her words.

“Who dat?” Skull said.

“Don’t you watch tv at all Ryuji?! Maybe you should spend less time watching Baywatch and more time on the news!”

“Wha— I don’t watch that! And what you mean news? Don’t you mean TMZ?” Skull shot back.

“At least it’s still news!” They started bickering again over the technicalities of TMZ and how celebrities news weren’t real news.

Mona climbed off Takamaki’s lap when she started getting passionate about the debate and leaned forward to give Skull a piece of her mind. He looked at him and said while cleaning himself, ”My name is Morgana. Skull’s real identity is Sakamoto, Ryuji. You already know Queen and Joker. Fox is Kitagawa, Yusuke. What I’m really interested in is how you will fare in the Metaverse.”   


“That word again, what does it mean exactly?” He asked the cat. It’s going to take him some time to get use to talking to a cat.

“It’s my power as a Primal!” Morgana said excitedly as he stopped mid-lick to look at him with animated eyes. He must be excited to talk about his power. “The Metaverse is the general term used for another dimension that’s connected to the public’s mind. When we change someone’s heart, I will send us to the target’s Palace, which is the person’s own distortion of a specific location. It can be a place where people would be able to feel at their most powerful or safest at.”

Akechi felt his eyes widen. That’s the power of a Primal huh? It’s something a mere Skydweller can’t hope to replicate. 

Morgana continued as Akechi felt his heart race in excitement at the new information. “For the previous people that the Phantom Thieves targeted, they have chosen places that they have felt superior and can get away with tormenting people at: Kamoshida was his school, Madarame was his home, and Kaneshiro was the city of Shibuya. Each Palace will be different from one another, but we can explain more when we get inside one.”

“We will need more information about the target first before we can get inside their Palace, otherwise there’s an off-chance that we might accidentally travel to someone else’s. There are usually more than one person who associates a place as their safe haven afterall. That is why I need three keywords to successfully teleport us to the Palace: a target's name, their location, and the form of the distortion in their hearts. You got it Crow?” Morgana leaned in very closely to Akechi’s face that he could smell the scent of fish from his breath. Akechi’s nose twitched in distaste.

Akechi nodded. “Y—yes, this is all a little overwhelming but I’m managing to following everything so far.” 

“Good, you absorbed everything faster than Ryuji.” He backed up and Akechi give a sigh of relief. “Well that’s the basic of the basics, we’ll talk more about it after we can get more information about the target and whatnot. If there’s nothing else, I’m going to take a nap.” He curled up against Akechi’s thigh, got comfortable, and closed his eyes. He really feels tempted to pet him now. Maybe he could pretend it was Takamaki’s hand if Morgana questions it. 

Kurusu said over the loud argument, “Aw, I feel kind of jealous of Morgana right now.” 

Akechi glanced over to him in confusion. “What do you mean?”

“Lap pillow.” He grinned.

He punched him on the arm before folding his arms and looking out the window.

“I have confirmed it that I found my inspiration! The tension, the drama! Both of you have to be my next models! I won’t accept no as an answer!” Kitagawa yelled, his voice lost in the abundance of noise of Takamaki and Sakamoto’s argument in the van that it was hurting Akechi’s ears.

“Quiet down! I’m driving here! All of you guys are giving me a headache!” Niijima yelled. 

“EEK! Sorry Queen!” They quickly apologize.

“I’m not Queen right now!” She hissed at them.

“Wah! Sorry Niijima-sama!” Kurusu cried out hands out in a surrender sign.

“I will punch you Akira.” She threatens him, her eyes narrowing in the rearview mirror. Go Niijima.

Kurusu shuts his mouth.

Ah, pleasant silence. Thank you Niijima. He mentally applauded at her for being able to control everyone, especially Kurusu. Akechi threw a grateful smile at her, she might or might not have noticed from the rearview mirror. It doesn’t matter, seeing other people handle Kurusu’s eccentric behavior was pretty amusing. 

 

* * *

 

 

“Your next assignment is to take down the current Archduke of Valtz Duchy. His name is Tzaka the Great.” Shido said late at night after he left the group and headed back home. There was barely a few people in the train that he found an area of empty seats and sat in the corner, far away from everyone else. He wasn’t worried about being overheard since everyone seemed dead at the moment.

Akechi’s eyebrows raised. That was rare, Shido requesting for a person outside of Tokyo. “Is there a time limit? It will be difficult to approach him if he’s the Archduke.”

“There are rumors that soldiers from the Empire will be visiting him soon, you will need to get to him before they do. It will be easier to cast the blame on them for the psychotic breakdown if anything.”

“...I understand. I will get on it then.” The call was disconnected and Akechi put his phone away. 

The Archduke of Valtz Duchy? Akechi has never heard anything about him on the news before. Could he have complained about Shido’s ideals to his people? But why does that even matter? The population of Tokyo wouldn’t hear it anyway. Akechi pondered why this person was so special as he wordlessly watched the dark scenery pass by.

Valtz Duchy. The island was famous for their high quality metals. Japan has been a close trading partners with them for decades. Valtz Duchy was well-known for making armor and weapons, however, they didn’t want to supply any specific island with their weapons. They didn’t want to help create or escalate a war between islands so they only focus on selling their goods for Skyfarers and their crews. Skyfarers would have to show proof that they are not associated with any specific islands or armies before their merchants would sell their items or even allow them in their shops. The easiest way of showing proof was the bounty hunter bracelet. Of course it’s not foolproof, but it was the best method at the moment. The travel permit also shows if the person was working for the government of their respective island, but usually pulling out those paperworks was more of a hassle compared to pulling out a bracelet.

Japan was the only exception though. It was a country that requested for other items using metal, like for electronic devices, making the two islands to forge a contract with each other. Japan would sell their items at a cheaper price and Valtz would offer their metal for a special discount.

Perhaps he wanted to replace the Archduke with someone who would trade for metal under the table so Japan could produce their own weapons? Shido does want Japan to have a stronger military and start expanding their territory to other islands eventually. 

Does Shido’s connections go that far though? Valtz has been composed mostly of draphs while Japan was mostly have humans and harvins, there were some erunes but draphs were rare to find walking around the city. Akechi mulled over what Shido’s plan was as he stood up when the train announced his stop, ready to head home.

While he has never been there before, he has heard that the heat from the volcano was unbearable so he will have to pack his summer clothes. It was already summer over in Japan, but he was a bit worried on how different the temperature will be compared to Japan. He wonders what kind of food and coffee was famous there. Should he pick something for Kurusu and the Phantom Thieves? Should he call Takemi-sensei to see if she had pharmaceutical related products he could pick up while he was there?

Akechi suppose he has to call the work now and tell them that he won’t be able to come in due to some emergency family issues. Shido could deal with the rest.

 

* * *

 

 

The next morning, he turned on the television to listen to the morning news while he performed his daily morning routine. 

Akechi half-heartedly listened to see if there was anything interesting that happened. Nothing really caught his attention until the words Phantom Thieves came from the news reporter. He walked out of his bathroom and focused his attention to the television.

“This just came in. The Medjed has declared war against the Phantom Thieves. Let me read the message that they wrote. It says, ‘To the Phantom Thieves causing an uproar in Japan: Do not speak of your false justice. We do not need the spread of such falsehood. We are the true executors of justice. However, we are magnanimous. We will give you an opportunity to repent your ways. If you agree to a change of heart, we will accept you as our own. If you reject our offer, the hammer of justice will find you. We are Medjed. We are unseen. We will eliminate evil.’”

“Vigilante versus vigilante. How suspenseful. I wonder what the Phantom Thieves’ next moves will be.” The other news reporter said before they turned their attention on other news.

Akechi frowns. Medjed was that anonymous group of hackers that were currently under Shido’s thumb. Even with Morgana on their side, they won’t be able to deal with this group since they will need more information on the individuals themselves to get into their Palace(?). He still has to see this in action, but for now, he frowned as he felt that this action might be overkill to deal with the Phantom Thieves. He’s not surprised since it’s Shido. He wants things to be done fast and in the way that brings humiliation to his opponents. 

It doesn’t seem that the Phantom Thieves had a hacker on their side to deal with this threat. He doesn’t know how they will handle this and felt a sense of pity growing in his gut. It was too bad, they seemed like an interesting group. 

Akechi was tempted to help them. He knows the person in charge of the group. If he gave the name to the Phantom Thieves, surely they would be able to change his heart and stop whatever Medjed’s plans were...but that would mean going behind Shido’s back. He definitely still wants to take him down, but now he has doubts on his method due to Morgana’s powers. He was always tempted to cast a psychotic breakdown on Shido, but he doesn’t know what Shido would do next. He’s too unpredictable. If Shido goes into town and started shooting at people who weren’t supportive of him, their deaths would be on Akechi’s conscious and that would be unacceptable.

With the Phantom Thieves power, he could easily take him down without resorting to wait to the election… but it felt like he was taking the easy way out if he did that… and there’s the fact that he would have tell the Phantom Thieves his relationship with that man if he wanted them to focus their attention on him. He definitely doesn’t feel comfortable doing that to a couple of strangers. 

He’ll wait and see Morgana’s power work in action before he decides to make any last minute adjustments to his plans against Shido. 

Now in the meantime, he will contact Kurusu to inform him about this new development.

**Have you heard the latest news?**

 

**Medjed has declared war on the**

**Phantom Thieves.**

 

**...be careful.**

**Joker: ******

**I haven’t heard of them before.**

 

**Aw, you’re so sweet, worrying about me. :')**

 

“Worried about—!? It’s definitely not you!” Akechi barked out to his phone.

 

**Will you help us?**

**Unfortunately I am assigned an**

**undercover assignment for around a**

**week.**

 

**You will have to find a solution fast or**

**else they might do something drastic.**

**Maybe you should ask around for a**

**hacker. You saved quite a few people,**

**they might be able to help you or know**

**someone who could.**

 

**They are a dangerous group that has**

**been hacking into banks and high**

**security level government organizations**

**and leaking out personal information and**

**top secrets, ignoring how it would affect**

**the lives of the public.**

 

**Don’t underestimate them.**

**Joker: ******

**…**

 

**I’ll let everyone know.**

 

**Thanks for telling me.**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author’s Notes: I actually didn’t expect to reveal everyone’s identity so early in the story...but it works out better this way, but now I have to make up a Palace. Haha D’X
> 
> If you are GBF fans and were curious on Djeeta’s route. It’s Zinkenstill (hometown) -> Port Breeze Archipelago (Tiamat) -> Auguste Isles (Leviathan) -> Albion Citadel (Chev) -> Side Story Defender’s Oath (She did all the stories with the 4 knights) to Welcome to Bistro Feendrache -> Footprints on Sacred Ground (She finished up to Platinum Sky) -> she’s currently with Detective Barawa and the Jewel Resort’s Incident. She found the dagger revenant weapon and mlb it during the 4 knights time frame and fought Quatre before cooperating with the Society and helping them out with their missions.
> 
> Yup, she rather do ‘side stories’ than focus on the ‘main story’. Lol! XD

**Author's Note:**

> As I was writing this, I noticed that this could have just been an AU instead of a crossover since I doubt I will make characters from Granblue Fantasy appear. :P But this story is more of a celebration that GBF is doing a collaboration with P5. Based on previous collabs, I think that Joker and some other characters would mysteriously get transported to the GBF world. 
> 
> Guild Wars is coming soon so I doubt I can update this month, but we shall see. I’m still laying out the plot, but this will be a short story since it seems like I lose motivation quickly. Haha.
> 
> Anyone who plays Granblue knows that Ca Ong is the most annoying raid to deal with and Akechi declared he can solo that guy. Good luck Akechi-kun!


End file.
